Like a River Divides the Earth

by Dora Dueck

Award-winning writer Dora Dueck returns with five masterfully crafted stories about family tensions, misunderstandings, and Mennonite communities.

A fourteen-year-old girl sees her soldier father’s face for the first time. A group of “young old” women find community living together in a boxy modern house, until a mystifying event causes them to question what they thought they had. Decades after immigrating from Russia, a Mennonite woman comes to terms with a buried resentment from her past.

In these five keenly observed stories, Dora Dueck fully inhabits the worlds of her characters, who encounter grief and misunderstanding but also tenderness and connection. With grace and insight, Like a River Divides the Earth explores the moments that divide us and the ways our lives are indelibly stitched together.

192 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2026

Reviews

[maia]

A wonderfully written, contemplative collection of short stories. I particularly enjoyed “Her Own Self” for the interiority of the main character, although I would say that this is a thread that is prevalent in all five of the stories. The descriptions of place and the family relationships stood out to me as effective. The writer presents character’s stories in a way that invites the reader in - overall a warm atmosphere was created through her words to delve into the character’s stories, no matter how different they were.

And though I may be biased because she is my grandma, the author is a skillful writer and I would highly recommend this collection, particularly to those interested in history/a Mennonite perspective.

[Stan Dueck]

I enjoyed this collection of short stories, with the two “bookend” stories being my favourites. Mask, the first story tells of a mask worn by a war survivor and explores how the war required other masks to be donned as well. The eponymous final story, describes the pain of being left behind and what the other side of a miracle looks like. I highly recommend this book.

[Claire Donnan]

yeah i had a good time

[Debra]

As a Canadian who’s been a great admirer of Margaret Laurence, Alice Munro, Sandra Birdsell, and Margaret Atwood, to name a few, I’m delighted to have found another terrific author in Dora Dueck. Her use of language is exquisite.

This book contains five stories, each focusing on death and change. Sometimes, death is the main event. Other times, the story focuses on the changes that emerge as the result of a death, but not necessarily in the literal sense. The stories are set in different time periods, going back as far as post-World War I. All of them are candid, poignant, and thought-provoking. I don’t have a personal favourite because they’re all wonderful. For me, the most mysterious one is Blue, a story about a woman who walks into the water one night and drowns, and none of her housemates know why. If you’re looking for intelligent, beautifully written stories, then this collection is a perfect choice.

[Samuel]

I quite enjoyed the five stories in Dora Dueck's new collection. The two that I enjoyed the most were the first and the last, the longest two. "The Mask" introduced an image of war casualty I hadn't thought of previously. "Like a River Divides the Earth" told a story I was dimly aware of, but gave a modern connection.

[Dorothy Esau]

This collection of five short stories is by an author I have enjoyed for many years. Dora’s background, the daughter of immigrants from the USSR, informs her worldview and gives her the freedom to write about loss, trauma, misunderstandings, forgiveness and hope. I particularly enjoyed the final of the five stories, also entitled “Like a river divides the earth”; it resonates with me on so many levels including the evolution of faith by the main character, Nikolai.

I highly recommend this book, both for the beauty of Dora’s writing, but also for the insight and compassion that are in evidence throughout.

[April]

Fabulous. This is the first I’ve read by this author. I loved the depth, detail and vibrant energy of these stories. Dueck’s way with words is precise, beautiful.