SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 O’REILLY INSURANCE AND THE CO-OPERATORS FIRST BOOK AWARD AT THE SASKATCHEWAN BOOK AWARDS

As a long, hot Saskatchewan summer dawns, Darby Swank’s life is forever changed when she finds her beloved aunt floating dead in a lake. All at once, her blinders are lifted and she sees the country lifestyle she’s always known in a whole new way, with hidden pain and anguish lurking behind familiar faces, and violence forever threatening to burst forth, like brushfire smouldering and dormant under the muskeg.

With her first novel, Lisa Guenther lays bare familial bonds, secret histories and the healing potential of art. Friendly Fire recalls the work of Ann-Marie MacDonald and Lynn Coady as it eviscerates small-town platitudes and brings important issues to light.

Praise for Friendly Fire:

“Friendly Fire is a remarkably honest and self-critical look at life in rural Saskatchewan.”
–Tom Ingram, The Winnipeg Review
“It’s clear Guenther knows rural small-town life, and in this novel she paints a vivid picture of both its foibles and its merits.”
–Sharon Chisvin, Winnipeg Free Press
“A well-paced character study with a strong sense of place.”
–LeoRobillard, Backwater Review