This is a fictional biography of the author's grandmother, Suzanne. Suzanne leaves her husband and child to become an artist and political activist. The story is told through the eyes of her granddaughter as she tries to understands her grandmother and her mother. She uncovers her grandmother's and Canadian's history. The book is beautifully written and I enjoyed reading it. Enjoy

Told in the form of second person the story is written in little vignettes of beautiful prose and interspersed with some of Suzanne's poetry. It is largely a fictional account but loosely based on some factual information gathered by Suzanne's granddaughter trying to collect whatever threads of info of a grandmother who was mostly absent and distance, a grandmother who she only met a few times. This is a brave attempt to piece together the past and what she uncovers is an interesting and complex woman a life of passion and ambition but also a fragmented fragile life leaving behind a trail of broken hearts and unfulfilled dreams. A woman who is drawn to activism and seeks groundbreaking causes but runs away from the people who need her the most. This book is deeply moving. It explores rejection and hurt and pain so well so precise it's uncanny how I felt instantly drawn to the narrator and her mother who are the hapless victims of this selfish and infuriating woman. This was a powerful story and I enjoyed it but was left frustrated by this woman who really had no good reason to be so god damn awful. Her heartless cruelty made me weep for the ones she deliberately hurt. I was impressed by this author how she managed to turn a tragic ending and story into a beautiful lesson showing the power of understanding and forgiveness and how ultimately it can transcend hate. Magnificent.