Part 1: Prologue and Chapters 1-2 Summary

Mary Lawson is a Canadian living in England. Ms. Lawson brings a unique perspective of the wilds of Canada to her writing, creating a setting that is unusual and so vividly drawn that the setting almost becomes another character in the novel.

In the prologue, Katie tells the reader about her Grandmother Morrison who had a book rest fixed to her spinning wheel so she could read as she worked. It was Grandmother Morrison who recognized the importance of education and she urged each one of her children to finish school. Based on a portrait that always hung in her parents' bedroom, Katie believes that Matt is the one who most resembles Grandmother Morrison of herself and three siblings.

In Chapter 1, Katie recalls the last dinner her entire family spent together. Luke announces that he...