KDL Recommends

Catch Me When I Fall

ISBN: 189714251X

Title: Catch Me When I Fall

Author: Patricia Westerhof

KDL Description:

These 11 interconnected stories explore the depths and struggles of faith and life in a close-knit community of Dutch-Canadian families in rural Alberta; it is a satisfying book that leaves the reader with an appreciation for the complexities of life and love. The author was a presenter at the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing last spring.
-Helen Kay at KDL’s Spencer Township branch

Amazon Description:

Welcome to Poplar Grove, a farming community with three generations of Dutch-Canadians. Life in the New World has not become less complicated as the decades have passed, and now, a set of dying customs is about to collide with the ways of a new generation. The balance is shifting between people comfortable holding hymnals and cleaning cows teats and those who are uneasy with traditional expectations. A young woman grapples with contradiction between the pious appearance of her best friend s family and the bits of reality she hears in her friend s confidences; a woman mourns the loss of her disabled son, but also wishes to end the ritual state of mourning; a girl finds herself stranded on the battlefield between her new-age brother and her Old World parents. These people are bound by time-worn expectations and the demands of an agricultural life. With humour and insight, author Patricia Westerhof examines a place where opposing ideologies mingle, and a community struggles to redefine who and what they are.