A Strange Kind of Comfort

by Gaylene Dutchyshen

Secrets cannot stay buried forever

In the town of Ross Prairie, Caroline Webb and Sarah Bilyk are bound by family, duty, and a decades-old act of betrayal. On opposing sides of a long-simmering feud between their husbands’ families, the two women meet again after years of estrangement when Caroline moves into the same nursing home as Sarah’s father.

Seeing each other sparks memories — of young love and the path to a fateful summer day that changed everything. Together, Caroline and Sarah uncover a truth that alters their lives forever, proving that love will overcome heartache and that friendship survives time.

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 2020

Reviews

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Strange Kind of Comfort by Gaylene Dutchyshen is a new book by a new novelist and I hope there will be more to come. This is the story of Caroline Webb and Sarah Bilyk, two women living in 1950s Ross Prairie, Manitoba, whose relationship over the decades has disintegrated, until their paths cross at a senior residence. The first few chapters divulge information about a feud between the Webbs and Bilyks, but never informs the reader of the cause. The plot evolves like the slow peeling of a ripe fruit, each layer revealing more and more about the families. The prose is such that each well-placed word makes it a pure pleasure to read this novel. I could have spent more time with these characters. This is my favorite 2020 novel to date. If you like relationship fiction, I strongly recommend this book. Thank you to Dundurn Press and Net Galley for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover image is very familiar to me because of my own farming background -- a pile of rocks that the farmer has picked out of his field and stacked beside the fence. At first I wondered why the cover artist had chosen such a prosaic image, but it was later revealed in the book why the rock pile is so symbolic and so significant.
I loved the setting -- the beautiful prairie landscape, the changing seasons, and most of all the very authentic details of farming life. "During hard spring rains, her father — complaining about his arthritic hip and the time it took him to pick his way across the sloppy yard — often drove the tractor right up to the back door when he came in for meals, even though her mother nagged him often enough about the deep ruts it left."
The point of view alternates between two female neighbours who have been estranged for many years, but we don't know why. The tension builds throughout the book as the narrative moves back and forth in time, and the chain of events that led to their separation is finally revealed.
I appreciate a novel with a solid, satisfying ending, so I was not disappointed. I was provided with an advance copy by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Annette Geiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading “A Strange Kind of Comfort.” Gaylene Dutchyshen is an author to keep on your radar. The book is well constructed, written beautifully, with characters distinctively defined. Thank you Netgalley and Dunburn Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[Darlene S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading A Strange Kind of Comfort. The book is very well written and nicely weaves the past with the present. The family secrets unfold right up till the end, some expected and others were a surprise. A very good read from Dundurn.

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good family drama that explores how death shapes a families dynamics.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

[Velvet]

Dnf at 10%
Too many characters and too much farm for my tastes

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, but it does have its downsides. I could absolutely relate to the timeframe of the 1950’s and 1970’s. Sarah’s mother reminded me so much of my mother, driving the truck to the field, taking lunches and the calendar entries brought tears to my eyes. That is exactly what my mom did.
BUT I had a hard time keeping track of the timeline and who was who, what family they were in and how old they were. It took me forever to figure out Caroline was not Sarah’s age but was like a mother figure. Sometimes in the middle of the chapter we would switch between past and present timeframes and it would take me a minute to figure out where we were. I finally jotted down the family trees and that did help quite a bit.
Despite that inconvenience, I still loved this book. There is so much depth to the characters, I could so relate to Sarah with her disappointments and her love for Jack. I came to care for Caroline and actually knew girls like Becca. The entire story is well worth the read. If you enjoy a family saga with great depth of characters and a well told story, this is it. It has it all, love, loss, desire, mystery, intrigue and a surprise ending. I was given an advance copy from Dundurn Press through Net Galley for my honest review, this one gets 5 stars.

[kaylasbookishlife · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so great to read a book set in the Prairie Provinces of Canada! Dundurn Press (the publisher) is amazing at representing Canadian authors and showing different voices in Canada. I really appreciated the author, Gaylene Dutchyshen for taking a place--usually joked about at being 'boring'--and creating an intriguing tale of two women with not much in common except for a single event that caused a great catalyst between their families. I enjoyed reading the chapters that focused on both women: Sarah and Caroline. I felt like I really got to know them both well .

What I found very confusing and it really affected my overall likeness of the book was the confusing time jumps within a characters chapter. It would start off in the present and before I knew it I was somewhere in the past again and it just confused me. I found myself going back and rereading to see where the jump had been made. This is a personal preference of course, I prefer more distinguished time jumps in my novels. This also could possibly be just the e-book format. I have not seen a hard-copy yet and so perhaps the styling issues were worked out before print.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for this ARC.

[Gregg Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific read. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Strong characters and plot and excellent prose style. Highly recommended.

[Charmax65 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and Sacrifice

A story of love, betrayal and unimaginable loss is a must read. The writing is superb. Great character development...as if you know them. Beautiful descriptions of a small prairie town (past and present)...as if you’ve lived there yourself. The story is captivating and draws you in to the very end. I didn’t want to put it down! The main characters, Caroline and Sarah, are heroines in their own right. Each have their own story to tell, but yet are remarkably intertwined. I can’t wait until the next book by this new author!

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

An intriguing prologue- promising mystery, atmosphere and generational ties and traditions, quickly gave way to a fairly run-of-the-mill family drama. Overly reliant on unnecessary dialogue to back-fill decades of events (or simply to find a shoe!), I longed for the lyrical prose of the first section.
Furthermore, whilst taking way too long to bring the central characters together, the author appears impatient as she unveils each random twist or misdemeanour in the kind of laborious detail that suggests she doesn't credit her readers' abilities to infer meaning.
Looking at others reviews, I'm left wondering what I missed and -actually- wish I had.

Nevertheless, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with and ARC of this novel in exchange of my honest review.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read in the family dynamics genre, with some very heavy issues at its heart . The author did a wonderful job of weaving past and present timelines, and giving POVs of the two main female characters. It was beautifully written, with the spare, sparse atmosphere of time and place coming through so clearly it hurt. And yet, after the hardship, I loved the way the author ended on a conciliatory note.

[CloudOfThoughts_Books Keirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Strange Kind of Comfort by author Gaylene Dutchyshen is a great feels of a book! It’s got the domestic/drama but it also has so much HEART! This book is not one to be missed, it truly is written so well and comfortably. Absolutely recommend it!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Fisher Lavell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Strange Kind of Comfort is a beautifully written novel braiding together strands in the lives of Sarah, a motherless daughter, and Caroline, a daughterless mother. Dutchyshen's ability to engage the reader is revealed in the very first scene; perhaps, the most riveting I have ever read. Her characters are drawn with a deft hand, lightly and lovingly, and with deep understanding. The author is a master of metaphor. For example, of Sarah’s mother, we are told “the sweet sound of her seldom-heard laughter unfurled on the wind.” And it is Dutchyshen's use of language and imagery, together with her understanding of the dark tangles of love and family, that carries the reader seamlessly forward and takes us deep into the novel’s world. This is a story of connection and loss and longing; the story of a secret, a mystery, that grows and twists and winds, threatening to destroy relationships and undo lives. This book was captivating, involving, and yes, I would say, profound.

[MB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notable excerpts:

He's two-faced like his mother, sweet and syrupy when they've got you face to face but just as likely to knock you flat on your arse once your back's turned.

You have to get through this in your own way, on your own time. You have all those precious memories to hold on to. Never forget them.

she did not want to laugh or dance or act as though she didn't have a care in the world. Her mother was gone and things would never be the same

I don't allow myself to think about the right or the wrong of it and I don't care. I just want to see you

She's tasted the sweetness of desire and it is growing inside her. It is love that she craves - to love and be loved - and she can't live without it; that soft, endless falling

she feels as though she's lost her place, skipped over a page in the book of her life. She doesn't know what she's doing her, how it's come to this

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaylene Dutchyshen is local to our library so naturally I wanted to read her book. Although I found it a little slow to get started, about half way through I didn't want to put it down. Gaylene really has captured the flavour of small town politics and petty feuds that seemingly start over something small but can be life-changing for those involved. There's always more to the story than most outsiders will know and she has capably described the complicated stories behind extended family and small town disputes.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine book, my first by this Canadian author. While I found the book a bit difficult to follow at first, as the chapters shift back and forth between characters and time periods, all eventually did fall into place. The book follows two main characters of Caroline and Sarah over the course of a lifetime in rural Canada between two feuding families and a hidden tragedy. What is the reason for the feud, that has lasted a lifetime? And what happened to Becca, Caroline's long lost daughter and Sarah's good friend, who has not been seen in decades? Read the book to find out. :)

[Lizbeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The story set in two timelines, with a mysterious beginning moves at a pace so slow it makes for confusing reading.

1 out of 5 stars.

[Kathy Kostuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely well crafted story that spans many generations. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish there was more about the wax reader and what was shared was enough to tweak my interest. Thank you Gaylene

[Sarav Sandhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, this novel touches on love, family, relationships and challenges that make connections stronger. It spans decades and describes lives of two women who’s lives get intertwined due to incidents that unfold.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story about two generations of women in a small Manitoba farming community.

[Sharron Arksey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 would be more accurate.

[Kylie Dutchyshen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! The prairie setting, the connections and twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down. Loved the connection between Sarah and Caroline.