Rule of Seconds

by Shawna Diane Partridge

Four generations of women. Four generations of stories. Years of secrets. Rule of Seconds interlaces the extraordinary lives of four generations of one family in the Northern Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie. The cyclical nature of themes and tragedy entwines the women and their histories. At age twenty-six, the narrator-protagonist Sheila recalls her past and that of her family in hopes of unearthing the cause of her painful epilepsy. Piecing together the depth of her troubled family history, Sheila discovers far more than she can cope with. Spanning from the 1920s to present day, the narrative depicts the unconventional life of Sheila’s great grandmother who owned a three-storey boarding house and ran an illegal speakeasy in the basement. Rule of Seconds is a story about four generations of hard women, defying the conventions of their era, time and again.

142 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Brianne]

Anyone who grows up in Northern Ontario can immediately think of at least one “hard” woman in their family tree. The delivery of this book wasn’t to my taste, but it was still readable.

[Susan Diane]

Short, interesting, especially if you have any connection with northern Ontario. Well written, entertaining, well worth reading.

[Zen]

I found this novella to be very engaging. The writing style was clear and despite having many characters the story was easy to follow. Having lived in "the Soo" and coming from a Ukrainian background, I found the story very relatable.

Each generation of women in this book was fascinating, and we only get a glimpse of each one's life. I feel that Partridge has enough material to turn this story into a full-fledged novel, and I would love to read more about these "hard" women.

[Lisa]

Great read! Was able to get a real a picture of life for the different generation of ladies.