Glass Voices

Book excerpt: Surviving the 1917 Halifax Explosion leaves a grieving Nova Scotia couple on a long and difficult road to redemption in this “textured and rich” novel (Quill & Quire). Though they survived the Halifax Explosion of 1917, Lucy Caines and her wayward husband, Harry, lost everything in the day’s terrible events—including their infant daughter. Determined to make peace with their grief and salvage what’s left of their lives, they begin to rebuild on the rustic shores of Halifax’s Northwest Arm. But coping isn’t easy, and each descends into isolation and denial: Lucy through guilt and reticence, and Harry through drinking and gambling. Despite the birth of a treasured son, the couple faces a future clouded by fear and apprehension. Then, fifty-two years after the catastrophe, yet another calamity strikes. Now Lucy must confront the miracle of their survival, reexamine the past, and struggle to become the author of her own happiness.