It's 2007, and Sandra Treming has just served 25 years in prison on a terrorism and murder conviction stemming from her involvement in the “Berkman Brigade,” an early 1980s political activist group. Described by the media as “the mastermind behind a monstrous terrorist act that rocked the nation,” the aging revolutionary finds herself in a strange new world of cellphones, laptops, and smoking bans, and soon discovers that her old political pals have moved on to other pursuits. Struggling against setbacks thrown at her by abusive authorities, religious zealots, petty thieves and unscrupulous property developers, Sandra risks losing everything she ever fought for, until a chance encounter with the owner of a used book store opens the door to a new life. Set in 1982 and 2007, Through Thorns follows one woman’s journey through two wildly disparate moments in North American history, finding humour and hope in the unlikeliest places.

Born in Vancouver, Mark Vulliamy has resided in that city ever since. In his 20s he lived in a series of communal houses while writing plays and acting in mainly grant-funded theatre companies. Eventually he found job security and a steady income within municipal government, where he wrote policy, planning, land acquisition and other reports for deliberation by elected officials. Now in retirement, he has reverted to writing fiction, including plays and short stories. Through Thorns is his first novel.

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