Publications

– A GAP IN THE FENCE –

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A GAP IN THE FENCE  is a heart-rending tale of love, loss and atonement.

Set in the early 1960’s, the story begins when 19-year-old Theo stumbles across a family secret.  Determined to find out more, he searches for the woman who is at the heart of it – Clara. 

His quest takes him from Vancouver to a small farming community in Alberta where an unfortunate incident with Clara’s husband prevents him from sharing his reasons for coming there. Unwilling to return home without achieving what he had set out to do, Theo accepts work as a farm hand. By the time he is ready to confide in Clara, his relationship with a young woman gets in the way. 

It takes a death and a promise to rekindle any hope for forgiveness and to create a future that involves much more than any of them had expected.

 

Reviews

 A poignant, minutely observed examination of love, loss, and atonement…
Anderson-Bernier’s prose is crisp, the pacing smooth and her characters are flawed yet appealing as they learn to tread the intricate waves of love and domesticity. Told in third-person omniscient, the narrative poignantly illustrates the 60s conservative rural society as Anderson-Bernier explores the complexities of love and family relationships. Her writing is authoritative as the long-buried truths unravel hidden depths and heal old wounds. The backdrop of rural Alberta is ideal for one of the novel’s central themes; exploration of boundaries of romantic relationships. Various themes of healing, reconciliation, and endurance come together as the story inches toward its culmination and almost all the characters reach their own epiphanies. The heartening finale will leave readers feeling warm all the way through. This rich and heart-rending tale is sure to win readers over. A moving debut!

• The Prairies Book Review

What if you were someone else’s deep dark secret? And what if you decided to knock on their door? “A Gap in the Fence” follows city-boy Theo as he does just that, stepping into life on the prairie farm run by his long lost relative and her husband. The delightful characters peopling this tale kept me turning the pages, cheering them on and hoping they would work through the setbacks thrown their way by circumstances and their own frailties.

• Nikki Everts, author of connect dis connect

A Gap in the Fence is an insightful, bold and bittersweet tale . . .Theo and Beth will live a long time in the minds of the readers who come to know them.

• Joy Lynn Goddard, author of Charlie’s Song and Moonshadow

 

. . . a quaint and well-written love story which I would recommend for women of all ages.

• Brenda Walton

A Gap in the Fence tells a tale that transports you to a different place and time. . . A genuine nostalgic read for the experienced, an absolute experience for the new generation.

• Erika Lopes, journalist