In the lonely years following the death of her fiancé, Helen is unable to move on with her life. But life itself is moving on around her — literally: the building of a dam is forcing her small town and her family home — to relocate.

But the construction project means more than the loss of a home. Helen’s brother, Robbie, who disappeared without a trace many years earlier, suddenly resurfaces. As he re-enters his sister’s life, he reveals the secret of why he left in the first place: a secret that tore their family apart, and affected Helen’s life in more ways than she ever realized.

The second novel by Michael V. Smith, Progress is a stirring story of lives lost and found.

Michael V. Smith is a Vancouver writer, comedian, filmmaker, zinester, performance artist and occasional clown. Recently, Smith won Vancouver’s Community Hero of the Year Award and the inaugural Dayne Ogilvie Award for Emerging Gay Writers. He’s also won a Western Magazine Award for Fiction, scooped both short film categories at Toronto’s Inside Out festival, and was nominated for the Journey Prize. Smith is the author of the novel Cumberland, and a collection of poems titled What You Can’t Have.

David Ellingsen is a vancouver photographer who’s landscapes have been seen in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Canada and the US, as well as on film and television productions such as The L Word and 4400. Alongside his fine art work, David is running a successful commercial photography business with clients such as The New York Times Magazine and CBC Radio Canada.

Michael V. Smith's profile page

• Winner, One Book UBCO

“A moving account of the difficulty of transformation and the anxious soul-searching that often accompanies personal evolution.”

Xtra!

“An epic Canadian novel … [a] can’t-put-it-down read.”

fab Magazine

“Smith has a ton of talent, and the story carries a huge emotional charge.”

Now Magazine

Truth and the prodigal son

by GreatStuffLindy