«Love, Infidelity and Drinking To Forget» by Elizabeth Gundy

Sara and Daniel, two New Yorkers used to the buzz of the Big Apple and the Metropolitan Museum, pack their books and cats in a pickup and set off for the backwoods of Atlantic Canada, their lovely young heads filled with lovely rustic dreams.From the start, things go haywire and the homesteading couple discover Law #1 of the wilderness: Nature goes its way and folks go crazy. The process is alternately hilarious and devastating.The main catalysts are the splendid locals, who first appear as uproarious rednecks, but gradually emerge as very affecting characters in their own right. Another is a much longed-for baby, who crystallizes Sara and Daniel's feeling for each other and the land.At the center of the book is the story of what happens to the child–a stunning section of quiet, simple intense writing that goes straight to the heart of what love is all about.Gundy draws deeply on her readers feelings; she is a writer who can make you weep on one page and laugh hilariously on the next.LOVE, INFIDELITY AND DRINKING TO FORGET chronicles a spiritual change that resonates long after the last page."…a great pleasure. Elizabeth Gundy is such an intelligent and affecting writer. As she did in BLISS, she has created characters whose sorrows you suffer and whose joys you celebrate."–Hilma Wolitzer