A breathtaking, fast-paced work of historical fiction based on the tragic true story of the 1941 Mount Allison University residence fire

I have a history here. I am part of this landscape. I have forged it, shaped it, and renewed it time and again. At times, I have been a mishap. Once or twice, I was brought forth at the hands of mischief. This time, I was sparked to life. I awoke from the elements, timid and trembling.

In the basement of a residence at a small liberal arts university in rural New Brunswick, while war rages overseas, a fire breaks out in the middle of the night. The town is sleeping.

A novel of devastating beauty, based on the true story of the December 1941 fire that destroyed a men’s residence at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, killing four students, and bringing the horrors of war startlingly close to home. Told at a blistering pace and in multiple points of view—including characters based on Alex and Rhoda Colville, who were students at the time, as well as faculty and staff, students past and present, a local journalist, and suspicious townspeople—this stunning work of historical fiction explores themes of trauma, love, and humanity in the face of tragedy.

Renée Belliveau is a writer and archivist who gladly spends her days surrounded by records from the past. She holds a BA from Mount Allison University, an MA from the University of Waterloo, and an MI from the University of Toronto. She previously published a memoir about her father's battle with cancer entitled Les étoiles à l?aube. She lives in New Brunswick with her Nova Scotian partner but calls any shore in the Maritimes home.

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