Fiction Pick of the Week: Glass Voices

Glass Voices by Carol Bruneau 2007

Since I am always drawn to Maritime fiction I was delighted to discover Carol Bruneau’s Glass Voices. The story begins in Halifax in the 1960s with Lucy and Harry, an older couple settled into their predictable and somewhat monotonous routine of daily life. On this day however, Harry suffers a massive stroke which throws their life into a major upheaval. Facing a long and difficult rehabilitation, Lucy takes the time to reflect upon their life together, which was not without difficulty.

From here the story takes us back to 1917 on the day of the Halifax explosion. Lucy and Harry were newly married with a small infant living with her parents. The explosion becomes a defining moment in their life together when Lucy loses most of her family. We follow the events of their marriage after that, and although Lucy never gets over the loss, she learns to accept the past and move on.
Beautifully written, you get a real feel for what it would have been like to live in Halifax during that time period. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Maritime fiction. Next I think I will read Bruneau’s other book, Purple for Sky.