The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay - by Beverly Jensen (Paperback)

About the Book

Published posthumously, this widely acclaimed novel-in-stories offers a richly textured portrait of a bygone era. In 1916, Idella and Avis Hillock live in a barren world of potato farms and lobster traps, rough men, hard work, and baffling beauty. These stories beautifully chart the trajectory of the Hillocks' divergent lives against the background of a lost slice of Americana.

Book Synopsis

Published posthumously through the efforts of Beverly Jensen's many supporters, this widely acclaimed novel-in-stories offers a richly textured portrait of a bygone era. In 1916, Idella and Avis Hillock live on the edge of a chilly bluff in New Brunswick-a barren world of potato farms and lobster traps, rough men, hard work, and baffling beauty. From "Gone," the heartbreaking account of the crisis that changed their lives forever, through "Wake," a darkly comic saga of funeral plans gone awry, The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay beautifully charts the trajectory of the Hillocks' divergent lives against the background of a lost slice of Americana.

Review Quotes

"The story of these two sisters, Idella and Avis, travels from Canada to New England, but mostly it travels through their lives and hearts, and it will travel through your heart as well." -- Elizabeth Strout

About the Author

Beverly Jensen earned an MFA in drama from Southern Methodist University. After her death in 2003, her story "Wake" was published in the New England Review, included in The Best American Short Stories 2007, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is survived by her husband, Jay Silverman, and their two children.