Deer Lake Divided

by Brian Little

It is October 1895 as sixteen-year-old Courtney heads across the river with her parents to stay with her sister, Denise, and her husband, Frank, for a few weeks. Her mother and sister have agreed to do whatever it takes to help Courtney find a husband before she becomes an old maid. After Courtney learns that Frank is a controlling husband, he corners her in the barn, kisses her and then robs her of her virginity. No longer good enough for any man to consider for marriage, Courtney heads back home where she harbors her shameful secret until her belly begins growing. Unable to hide her pregnancy anymore, Courtney tells her family about her horrifying experience. After Frank denies the encounter, Courtney eventually gives birth to a daughter she calls Deedee and marries a less-than-ideal man. Unfortunately as hardship and despair overshadow her new family, Courtney has no idea of what horrifying events are about to unfold. In this gripping tale inspired by a true story, a new mother embarks on a challenging journey after her brother-in-law rapes her during the early twentieth century in Ontario.

52 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2021

About the author

Dr. Brian Little is an internationally acclaimed scholar and speaker in the field of personality and motivational psychology. His pioneering research on how everyday personal projects and ‘free traits’ influence the course of our lives has become an important way of explaining and enhancing human flourishing. Professor Little is currently at Cambridge University where he is a Fellow of the Well-Being Institute and Director of the Social Ecology Research Group in the Department of Psychology. He is also affiliated with the Cambridge Judge Business School and the Psychometrics Centre at Cambridge.

Previously, he taught at McGill, Oxford, and Harvard Universities. His course on personality in Harvard’s Department of Psychology was immensely popular, and he was elected as a ‘Favourite Professor’ by the graduating classes of Harvard for three consecutive years.

Dividing his time between Canada and the UK, Brian is also a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at Carleton University in Ottawa and he lectures world-wide on personality, motivation and well-being.