Surface Rights Paperback – December 24, 2013

A fine book about the fragility of family, and the steps one can take to re-claim those bonds. The chapter on swimming in the lake is just beautiful....

This is a beguiling novel, rich in character and with a deep vein of humor running throughout. It also becomes increasingly involving, as a story that begins with one lonely and despondent woman (and a dog) gradually widens its cast of characters to include a reunited family, some Native Americans, and a ghost or two.

Surface Rights has many of the elements that I look for when purchasing a book: a strong female lead, a cast of weird and wonderful supporting characters, and a story line (plus a couple of engaging subplots) that kept me guessing until the end. A bonus was the setting, a rundown family cottage in the wilderness, so dear and familiar to Canadian hearts. This is the type of novel to read beside a cozy fireplace, or dangling your feet off the pier in front of your own cottage.

Start with twin sisters (who never had much in common); add three abandoned children, now young adults, looking for answers; and season with two First Nations ladies keen to trade wisdom for lunch. The result, in Surface Rights, is a very entertaining blend of funny, harsh truths about family disappointments and re-negotiations. Verna drives to the old family cottage in Northern Ontario, to scatter three boxes of ashes: of her chaotic "party-hardy-die-young" twin Fern, their father, and Verna's own ex-husband. They are soon joined by the forlorn children that dead Fern birthed and scattered, as the forever-hippie blew through men and life in general . The city folk are aghast at the unhealthy local yokels -- all over-weight smokers who gorge on the never-expiring junk food on offer at the convenience store. Meanwhile the locals like First Nations handy-woman Winonah and her blunt-talking Granny think the city slickers are dumber than rocks to ignore the obvious advice of the many ghosts and spirits that inhabit the forests and lake. Some truth-telling ensues, and some learning, all of it with generous dollops of dry, self-deprecating wit. A friend of mine tore through this novel in an all-night marathon read. I dragged it out for the sheer pleasure of the spending time with the characters. Now I want Verna and Winonah and Granny to meet again in a sequel -- to untangle other rural mysteries. Surely there are more wrongs to be righted in those deep northern woods?

A new novel by Canadian author Melissa Hardy. Verna, a lonely widow, travels to Northern Ontario to open up the family cottage and scatter the "cremains" of her husband, father, and twin sister. During the course of a May 24 long weekend, Verna is reunited with her sister's troubled children, is visited by a First Nations ghost (who dispenses excellent advice) and is threatened by a mysterious stranger. I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed every witty, heartwarming and suspenseful scene. An excellent choice for a book group, and a great book to read at the cottage.

What a great mix of characters, situation, and awkward Canadian hodgepodge culture this is! Life in our mixmaster world CAN settle, with a little open-hearted love. This is a terrific book.

Loved it! Very funny with endearing characters.