After Alice
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After retiring from the heady world of academia, Sidonie von Täler has returned to the small Okanagan Valley town she escaped in her youth for the lights of the big city. The family orchard has since gone to seed, and even decades later Sidonie still finds herself living in the shadow of her deceased sister Alice.
As she gets down to work sifting through the detritus of her family's legacy, Sidonie is haunted by memories of trauma and triumph in equal measure, and must find a way to reconcile her past and present while reconnecting with the family members she has left. Karen Hofmann's debut novel blends a poetic sensibility with issues of land and stewardship, social stratification and colonialism, painting the geological and historical landscape of the Okanagan in vivid and varied colours. |
After Alice is a poignant exploration of the mysterious underworld of memory and the capricious expansion and contraction of time. Karen Hofmann has a compelling curiosity about people - their secrets, their sorrows, their strength, and their compromised ideas of love. She has penned a rich novel with big heart."
-Angie Abdou
After Alice has the makings of a CanLit classic, with complex characters, heavy themes done with a light touch, and expert pacing. Did I mention that this is Karen Hofmann’s first novel? I can’t wait to see what she does next.
-Laura Frey
Reading-in-bed.com
Listen to a Podcast Interview About After Alice HERE