This is an auction for THE CURE FOR DEATH BY LIGHTNING, by Gail Anderson-Dargatz.

"Evil lurks just below the bucolic surface of life on a farm in western Canada in the early days of World War II. Along with the arduous tasks that fill a typical farm day in the Forties are the added stresses of blackouts, rationing, and labor shortages. Fourteen-year-old Beth Weeks also has to contend with an erratic father who, after an encounter in the bush with a grizzly, becomes violent and abusive. She retreats for comfort into an intimate relationship with a girl from the neighboring reserve and into the well-worn pages of her mother's scrapbook, which contains family memorabilia, wonderful recipes (all included here), and folk remedies such as the title cure for death by lightning. Woven into this evocative coming-of-age novel are Indian legends, ghost tales, and mystical happenings in a manner that recalls Louise Erdrich at her best. Powerful and moving, this is highly recommended."

• Library Journal (US)

Very favourable reviews on Amazon.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gail Anderson-Dargatz, whose fictional style has been coined as “Pacific Northwest Gothic” by the Boston Globe, has been compared to John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Salman Rushdie and Gabriel García Márquez. Her novels have been published worldwide in English and in many other languages. A Recipe for Bees and The Cure for Death by Lighting were international bestsellers, published worldwide in English and in many other languages, and were both short-listed for the prestigious Giller Prize in Canada. The Cure for Death by Lightning won the UK’s Betty Trask Prize among other awards.

Paperback 1999.

294 pages.

Good condition.

The cost of shipping is $6.95.

There is of course no charge for shipping if you collect this book from my shop in Palmerston North following the auction.

Payment within seven days, please.