Laurentian Divide: A Novel

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Winner of the 2019Minnesota Book Award for Novel & Short Story

Poignant portrayals of life on the edge in northern Minnesota border country, from the best-selling author of These Granite Islands and Vacationland

Bitter winters are nothing new in Hatchet Inlet, hard up against the ridge of the Laurentian Divide, but the advent of spring cant thaw the communitys collective grief, lingering since a senseless tragedy the previous fall. What is different this year is whats missing: Rauri Paar, the last private landowner in the Reserve, whose annual emergence from his remote iced-in islands marks the beginning of spring and the promise of a kinder season.

The towns residents gather at the local diner and, amid talk of spring weather, the latest gossip, roadkill, and the daily special, take bets on when Rauri will appearor imagine what happened to him during the long and brutal winter. Retired union miner and widower Alpo Lahti is about to wed the diners charming and lively waitress, Sissy Pavola, but, with Rauri still unaccounted for, celebration seems premature. Alpos son Pete struggles to find his straight and narrow, then struggles to stay on it, and even Sissy might be having second thoughts.

Weaving in and out of each others reach, trying hard to do their best (all the while wondering what that might be), the residents of this remote town in all their sweetness and sorrow remind us once more of the inescapable lurches of the heart and unexpected turns of our human comedy.

Reviews

"Hilarious, smart, moving, and kind, Laurentian Divide is good for the soul, or anyway, it was good for mine."Richard Russo

"There arent many writers on the planet who can take a readers heart apart and put it back together again with the sureness of Sarah Stonich, who does exactly that over and over again in Laurentian Divide, her best yet. Funny and wise in equal measure, heres a novel for everyone. What a treasure."Peter Geye, author of Wintering

"With seamless grace, Sarah Stonich has again woven the towering majesty of Minnesota's Arrowhead Country with the endearing miscellany of its denizens, creating a tapestry both elegant and earthy. Here, reader, are joy and artistry."Faith Sullivan, author of Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse

"Laurentian Divide is rich, funny, and overflowing with lifeSarah Stonich at the top of her powers."Will Weaver, author of Sweet Land

"With a nimble hand and wry voice, Sarah Stonich pilots this generous taleincisive, musical, and spiced with pungent observation so that Laurentian Divide becomes the best sort of trip."Leif Enger, author of Peace Like a River and Virgil Wander

"It was a pleasure to spend time with these characters again and see the family they have created within their community. Sarah Stonichs beautiful prose, sly humor, and obvious fondness for her subject matter make Laurentian Divide a must-read."Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books

"Thanks to Stonichs keen depictions, this is a small town peopled with actual people: diverse individuals united by a common experience of place. Laurentian Divide transports attention to a scrap of near-nowhere because life isnt something that happens to youhow you choose to react to what happens is life."Foreword Review

"Stonich weaves past and present into a lyrical, immersive novel. Fans of Kent Haruf and Paulette Jiles will fall in love with Stonichs depiction of Minnesota: harsh and welcoming, friendly and unforgiving, all at once. Exploring the consequences of actions set in motion months, years, or even decades ago, Stonichs slow burn of a novel questions whatand whocan belong to us."Booklist

"Laurentian Divide does what a good sequel should. It fills in details and updates on the characters that we love, but also tells a compelling story of its own. There is an understanding of the bittersweet realities of life, an acceptance of the good and bad that comes with the simple act of living." Nicole M. Burrell

Author Bio

Sarah Stonich is the best-selling author of These Granite Islands (Minnesota, 2013), which has been translated into seven languages and shortlisted for Frances Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle; the critically acclaimed novel The Ice Chorus; and a memoir, Shelter: Off the Grid in the Mostly Magnetic North (Minnesota, 2017). Her novel-in-stories, Vacationland (Minnesota, 2013), is the first volume in her Northern Trilogy, followed by Laurentian Divide. She has also written the novels Fishing with RayAnne and Reeling. The founder of WordStalkers.com, she lives on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.