After the move to Delwood, Matt Humphreys, sixteen, comes to understand that his father, Jack, is a broken man not looking to heal after the death of his wife. It has left him angry, bitter, and a drinker. Matt knows it falls on his shoulders to provide care and attention for his younger brother Ben; he wishes he could give Ben another life other than the upheaval he’s known.

Matt has once again reestablished himself — new friends, a spot on the basketball team, a girlfriend — and if he was given a chance to stay, he might just do something meaningful with his life. All it takes is a collision between the nomadic Humphreys men and the town-born-and-bred Rutger family to set their erratic lives in motion once again.

This is a story of quiet, desperate hope, the fulfillment of which depends upon altering fate, adjusting to change, and transforming one’s spirit. If Matt can be the catalyst, Ben and Jack might change as well. Are a brother’s love and sacrifice Matt’s only pathways out of the adversity that threatens to wreck his family once again, or is it time for him to take control of his life, put his needs first, and leave those tough challenges behind?

Shari Narine is an award-winning journalist who has served as editor for newspapers and magazines. Currently she works at the Aboriginal Multi Media Society (AMMSA), Playhouse Publications, in Edmonton. After having a handful of short stories published in various journals, she wrote Oil Change at Rath's Garage, her first novel. Narine grew up in Daysland, a small town in Alberta, and has travelled extensively within Canada and to six continents (and has ridden camels on four).

Shari Narine's profile page