Called to his dying father’s bedside, Gabriel Golden’s life is turned upside down after receiving his mother’s journal. The journal chronicles his mother’s life in post-war Britain, her genteel upbringing and her eventual marriage to Gabriel’s father, a complicated man raised in an aggressive, Jewish family who drinks to escape financial worries. Gabriel is shocked as the novel reveals dark secrets about his parents’ relationship, shaking Gabriel’s preconceptions about his father – and himself.

Based on a true story and winner of the H. R. Percy Novel Prize and the Beacon Award for Social Justice, Turn Us Again is a powerful exploration of the dynamics within family relationships, enticing the reader to embark on a journey towards a more complex understanding of the issue of abuse.

Read the review by The Chronicle Herald here.

Charlotte R. Mendel lives in Enfield, Nova Scotia, with six goats, two cats, eleven chickens, two children, one husband, and thousands of bees. Her first novel, Turn Us Again, won the H.R. Percy Novel Prize, the Beacon Award for Social Justice, and the Atlantic Book Award for First Novel.

“Turn Us Again powerfully, painstakingly, and painfully explores a difficult theme, effectively shifting perspectives to show multiple sides of a shattered family history. Readers will find themselves pulled into the darker side of love, partnership and family, the part that usually comes after the movie ends. The writing here is well crafted, developing the complex, complete characters that drive the story heartward. It will stay with readers long after the last page is turned. ”

— Chris Benjamin, author of Drive-by Saviours and Eco-Innovators

“At the heart of the novel is the quest to seek answers in the wake of violence and the daunting if not impossible challenge of forgiveness. Mendel does not give answers but the novel leaves this reader understanding once again the healing power of narrative in all our lives. A brave story indeed. ”

— Sheree Fitch, poet and author of I Died on a Hot June Day