All That’s Left

By (author): Lisa Guenther

Darby Swank’s entire life changed when her Aunt Bea was brutally murdered one summer in their rural Saskatchewan community.


Following her gripping debut Friendly Fire, Lisa Guenther skillfully picks up Darby’s story a few weeks after the dramatic finale. Building her life anew, Darby makes new and lasting friendships and connections with recently found family members, including her charismatic cousin Brynny, a young woman leading an exciting and inclusive church in rural Alberta. Darby begins to make a name for herself on the Canadian music scene. Landing a sought after gig with an established Toronto band, Darby is thrust into the life of a working musician on the road. Still haunted by the violence hidden in her past, Darby must find a way to live at least partially in the public eye, as her music career takes off, and her Aunt Bea’s art and story become more and more well known.


Guenther’s second novel is a pressing account of a life wrecked by trauma, and rebuilt brick by brick with joy, love, and friendship. Guenther asks important questions of privacy, safety, and the vulnerability of artists in the public eye, while meditating on the importance of art and community.

AUTHOR

Lisa Guenther

Lisa Guenther is a writer and agricultural journalist based in Livelong, Saskatchewan. She is the editor of Canadian Cattlemen magazine. Her writing has also appeared in Grainews and Country Guide. Friendly Fire, her first novel, was published in 2015.


Reviews

“ltpgtThis wrenching novel grips you from page one ltigtAll Thats Left takes a deep dive into what happens sometimes supportive sometimes terrifyingin the spaces between people This is a story filled with tension and tempered with tenderness Lisa Guenther understands relationships at their best and at their worst And she understands the ways that community and connection music and art help us to pick each other up and carry on as we must when the unimaginable happens Leona Theis award winning author of ltigtIf Sylvie Had Nine Livesltigt and ltigtSightlinesltigtltpgtltbrgtltbrgtltpgtltigtAll Thats Left ltigtis a sprawling and fascinating story spanning generations locations and human experiences It seamlessly blends the worlds of music touring Canadas vast prairies processing family trauma and the healing power of our connection to animals Its a captivating journey whose directions kept me guessing and I loved being along for the ride A highly recommended read by one of Canadas emerging literary talents Eliza Reid bestselling author of ltpgt Secrets of the SprakkarltigtltpgtltpgtPassionate sometimes reckless and always honest Darby Swank is an enigma even to herself A talented musician a horsewoman and a survivor she takes us on a ride from Edmontons Whyte Avenue to the bar stages of Toronto and back to the family ranch in Saskatchewan With a Jesus Horse Cult a ruthless stalker a lesbian preacher and a family torn apart by silence ltpgt All Thats Leftltigt explores obsession in its many forms the sometimeslethal results of the secrets we keep and the lies we tell ourselves and the explosive legacy of domestic violence A renaissancelike fusion of music horses sex and love this pageturning story keeps us in the saddle and hanging on as we thunder toward Darbys full reckoning with both past and future Anne Lazurko award winning author of ltpgt What is Written on the Tongueltigt and ltigt Dollybirdltigtltpgt”

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Details

Dimensions:

344 Pages
8.5in * 5.5in * 1in
0.378lb

Published:

May 01, 2024

Publisher:

NeWest Press

ISBN:

9781774390962

Book Subjects:

FICTION / Literary

Language:

eng

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