Sointula

At the heart of Sointula is Evelyn, a middle-aged woman who abandons her privileged existence. She throws away the trappings of her civilized life-her antidepressants and her air ticket home, her wallet and most of the clothes off her back-steals a kayak and embarks on a quest that takes her deep into the wilderness. The goal: to find Tom-her strange, damaged son-in the remote village of Sointula. Equal parts light and dark, compassion and irony, this is Gaston's most mature...
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At the heart of Sointula is Evelyn, a middle-aged woman who abandons her privileged existence. She throws away the trappings of her civilized life-her antidepressants and her air ticket home, her wallet and most of the clothes off her back-steals a kayak and embarks on a quest that takes her deep into the wilderness. The goal: to find Tom-her strange, damaged son-in the remote village of Sointula. Equal parts light and dark, compassion and irony, this is Gaston's most mature work."Gaston is a writer of great empathy, capable, it seems, of getting beneath the skin of anybody ... His language is pure, his concerns humane." -2002 Giller Prize Jury"Gaston is one of this country's outstanding literary treasures." -Globe and Mail