The Raw Light of Morning

***2022 BMO WINTERSET AWARD – WINNER***

The Raw Light of Morning is a powerful debut novel about women and children finding humour and love in the aftermath of domestic violence.

Fourteen-year-old Laurel Long does something unimaginable. In a house at the back end of Woods Road, she commits an act of violence that alters the course of her life. Laurel finds herself living in Stephenville, a small town on Newfoundland’s west coast, trapped in a system of poverty and generational neglect, haunted by trauma. Laurel needs a fresh start, and education is her ticket out, but when her past starts to catch up with her, she must decide how far she will go to protect herself and the ones she loves.

AUTHOR

Shelly Kawaja

Shelly Kawaja’s writing has appeared in several journals and literary magazines, such as the Humber Literary Review, the Dalhousie Review, Postcolonial Text, and PACE. Her short story “Shotgun” won the gritLit 2020 fiction contest. Shelly is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Humber School for Writers and is a current MFA candidate in the creative writing program at the University of British Columbia. She lives in Corner Brook with her family.

Reviews

“. . . so real and powerful. The themes of the book are a reality for far too many people . . .”

– Consumed by Ink

“This debut novel is gripping, spot-on in detail and tone, visceral and lovely. Skillfully paced, the traumatic opening scenes never overwhelm the ensuing action and developments, and what follows is engrossing, authentic and never too on-the-nose.”

– The Telegram

Awards

BMO Winterset Award 2022, Winner

Reader Reviews

Details

Dimensions:

248 Pages
8.5in * 5.5in *
0.5kg

Published:

September 01, 2022

City of Publication:

St. John’s

Country of Publication:

CA

Publisher:

Breakwater Books Ltd

ISBN:

9781550819465

Book Subjects:

FICTION / Literary

Featured In:

All Books

Bookville 2023 – Fiction

Language:

eng

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