Shadows on the Rock

This work of historical fiction, set in Quebec in 1697-98, is a quiet charmer. By that time, the early, renowned explorers, fur traders, and missionaries were passing away and their deeds spun into the lore of the 100-years-young French colony. Instead, the story focuses on the town apothecary and his young daughter, arrived from Paris eight years earlier. Their home is an oasis of European comfort but the highlights of their year—a moonlit picnic with a sea captain’s talking parrot and unpacking a crèche from across the ocean—reflect both the New and Old Worlds. The family’s experience echoes that of Cather’s other pioneers, and more faintly, today’s immigrants. While reading, I felt like we’ve almost come full circle: the next chapter is when we resettle to other planets or galaxies! The novel opens and closes in October, and painterly renderings of autumn at that latitude—the golden foliage, gray rock, and silver mist—bookend a feel-good yet thoughtful tale that’s perfect as winter closes in.