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The Current Between
ABOUT THE BOOK
On a bright November day in 1913, a young deckman named Harry Darling joins The James Carruthers, a large cargo carrier leaving Port William and bound for Midland on her last cargo run of the season. Harry’s estranged father, Connor Darling, is onshore, unaware of Harry’s whereabouts and consumed with staving off the end of his failing mink farm. When a cyclonic weather event descends over the entire region, Harry and Connor reconsider perceptions of past transgressions, and with the help of a telegraph operator named Flo, each navigates the shoals of loss and betrayal, and searches for an idea of home.
Told from the perspectives of Harry, Connor, and Flo, The Current Between is a terrifying fictional account of those caught in the Great Storm of 1913, the most devastating marine disaster in the history of the Great Lakes.
“Mills-Milde brilliantly recreates the early twentieth century in Southern Ontario. The novel’s portrayal of the final hours on board a doomed lake freighter is truly one of the most vivid and terrifying accounts of the greatest disaster to befall the inland lakes ever written.”
David Yates, historian and author of Out of the Woods, and The Time of our Lives.
“Readers will find themselves pulled under by narrative currents that connect characters and waterways in an ongoing and often stormy cycle of renewal and regeneration. In this strangely charged place,
where land and water meet, we witness both the fragility of human endeavor and the strength
and power of relationships—between and among humans, animals, and the places they call
home.”
Tom Cull, former Poet Laureate of London, Ontario, and author of Bad Animals and Kill Your
Starlings.
This is historical fiction at its best—alive to the complexities of people and events, and compulsively
readable.
Aaron Schneider author of What We Think We Know and Grass-Fed
On a bright November day in 1913, a young deckman named Harry Darling joins The James Carruthers, a large cargo carrier leaving Port William and bound for Midland on her last cargo run of the season. Harry’s estranged father, Connor Darling, is onshore, unaware of Harry’s whereabouts and consumed with staving off the end of his failing mink farm. When a cyclonic weather event descends over the entire region, Harry and Connor reconsider perceptions of past transgressions, and with the help of a telegraph operator named Flo, each navigates the shoals of loss and betrayal, and searches for an idea of home.
Told from the perspectives of Harry, Connor, and Flo, The Current Between is a terrifying fictional account of those caught in the Great Storm of 1913, the most devastating marine disaster in the history of the Great Lakes.
“Mills-Milde brilliantly recreates the early twentieth century in Southern Ontario. The novel’s portrayal of the final hours on board a doomed lake freighter is truly one of the most vivid and terrifying accounts of the greatest disaster to befall the inland lakes ever written.”
David Yates, historian and author of Out of the Woods, and The Time of our Lives.
“Readers will find themselves pulled under by narrative currents that connect characters and waterways in an ongoing and often stormy cycle of renewal and regeneration. In this strangely charged place,
where land and water meet, we witness both the fragility of human endeavor and the strength
and power of relationships—between and among humans, animals, and the places they call
home.”
Tom Cull, former Poet Laureate of London, Ontario, and author of Bad Animals and Kill Your
Starlings.
This is historical fiction at its best—alive to the complexities of people and events, and compulsively
readable.
Aaron Schneider author of What We Think We Know and Grass-Fed
260 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2023
1 person is currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Mills-Milde
3 books8 followersValerie Mills-Milde is the author of "After Drowning" (Inanna 2016), winner of a Silver Medal for Contemporary Fiction at the Independent Publisher Book Awards (Ippys), and "The Land's Long Reach" (Inanna 2018). Her short stories have appeared in numerous Canadian literary journals, and a collection of these, "Not the Talking Kind", was a semi-finalist for the St. Lawrence Book Award.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 5, 2023
Valerie Mills-Milde has an amazing way of depicting the characters in the Current Between. Readers get a real sense of their personalities. I particularly enjoyed how she made the women in this book strong communicators. This historical fiction, set in Huron County, has been well researched. Valerie is an eloquent writer and I can’t wait to read her two earlier books.
September 3, 2023
I loved this wonderful book. This beautifully told story weaves the complex stories of family members, friends and lovers in the context of the 1913 gale on the Great Lakes that took many lives. It is a fascinating tale of marine traffic, telegraph operators, farming communities (including mink farming!), but really captures the reader with the stories of family ties, relationships, personalities and fate. The recounting of the terrifying gale aboard a freighter is absolutely riveting. Just fabulous and my main regret is that I have finished it.
October 17, 2023
I was hooked since the beginning. First, there is Connor and Harry’s complicated father-son relationship. The writer makes us wonder, what happened in the past? Then, the story slowly unfolds. Second, I really like the romance between Harry and Flo, the telegram operator. The connection between them feels real. Third, when the Great Storm happened, I felt like I was in the boat myself. It felt real and so thrilling. I kept wondering, will Harry survive? Will he reconcile with Connor? Will he reunite with Flo? What an emotional ending!
July 5, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, so well researched and I really left feeling connected to the characters and I was anxiously concerned for their outcomes. Well done Valerie! I’ve already shared my book copy with others as I’m happy to recommend this writer and this book, Just starting her earlier two now!
June 11, 2023
This book is a great read, hard to put down. I loved learning the history of the telegraph and the ways people eked out a living around Lake Huron in the early 20th century. Beautiful descriptions, interesting characters and a buoyant sense of hope made me wish for a sequel.
December 19, 2023
It wasnt what I had been looking for. I wanted a ship wreck story but got a love story for much of it. Im sure many will enjoy it but it wasnt for me. I just couldnt get into it
October 13, 2025
I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews