The Gospel According to Cane

Courttia Newland

A powerful, pacy and edgy story about the traumatic effects of loss upon a mother and son. On this personal and complex journey, forgotten truths are revealed and weave around the chaotic lives of others as a sense of closure is sought. The telling is tense and the well rounded characters are fraught and raw and unsure as their lives twist along unsteady pathways. The craving for peace of mind and the hope of healing drives the narrative.

Extract

The flap opened. The light was almost celestial; I quieted the thought. I needed vigilance, clarity, not open-hearted weakness. I wiped at my eyes, clenching my jaw in order to make it hurt, to remind myself. I felt pain. There was a noise at the letterbox, the boy pushing something through, a folded piece of paper that fell to my doormat, and for one quick moment there was a glimpse of long, stub-ended fingers, eager eyes. I leant forward to get a better look, but the flap closed, and my slipper was nudging the scrap beneath me.

Parallels