Eighty-two-year-old Etta has never seen the ocean. So early one morning she takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots, and begins walking the 3,232 kilometers from Saskatchewan to Halifax.Her husband Otto wakes to a note left on the kitchen table. I will try to remember to come back, Etta writes. Otto has seen the ocean, having crossed the Atlantic years ago to fight in a far-away war, so he understands. But with Etta gone, the memories come crowding in. The only way to kee...

**LONGLISTED FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZEFrom Emma Hooper, acclaimed author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James, a People magazine “Pick of the Week,” comes a “haunting fable about the transformative power of hope” (Booklist, starred review)** in a charming and mystical story of a family on the edge of extinction.Newfoundland, 1992. When all the fish vanish from the waters and the cod industry abruptly collapses, it's not lo...

***LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FOR FICTION*An epic, boundary-pushing tale of five young women rebelling against an era that relies on their submission, from the acclaimed author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James.**During the golden age of the Roman Empire, five girls enjoy a modest childhood in their small Portuguese village. They race each other through lemon orchards and pick fresh fruit for the commander who overlooks his people fro...

***LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FOR FICTION*An epic, boundary-pushing tale of five young women rebelling against an era that relies on their submission, from the acclaimed author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James.**During the golden age of the Roman Empire, five girls enjoy a modest childhood in their small Portuguese village. They race each other through lemon orchards and pick fresh fruit for the commander who overlooks his people fro...

**LONGLISTED FOR CANADA READS 2025“Etta and Otto and Russell and James is incredibly moving, beautifully written and luminous with wisdom. It is a book that restores one's faith in life even as it deepens its mystery. Wonderful!” —Chris Cleave, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Little Bee**“I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. I will try to remember to come back.”Etta's greatest unfulfilled wish, living ...

**LONGLISTED FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZEFrom Emma Hooper, acclaimed author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James, a People magazine “Pick of the Week,” comes a “haunting fable about the transformative power of hope” (Booklist, starred review)** in a charming and mystical story of a family on the edge of extinction.Newfoundland, 1992. When all the fish vanish from the waters and the cod industry abruptly collapses, it's not lo...