Gaylene Dutchyshen

A Strange Kind of Comfort by Gaylene Dutchyshen is a new book by a new novelist and I hope there will be more to come. This is the story of Caroline Webb and Sarah Bilyk, two women living in 1950s Ross Prairie, Manitoba, whose relationship over the decades has disintegrated, until their paths cross at a senior residence. The first few chapters divulge information about a feud between the Webbs and Bilyks, but never informs the reader of the cause. The plot evolves like the slow peeling of a ripe fruit, each layer revealing more and more about the families. The prose is such that each well-placed word makes it a pure pleasure to read this novel. I could have spent more time with these characters. This is my favorite 2020 novel to date. If you like relationship fiction, I strongly recommend this book. Thank you to Dundurn Press and Net Galley for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)