In the lonely years following the death of her fiance, Helen is unable to move on with her life. But life itself is moving on around her literally: the building of a dam is forcing her small town and her family home to relocate. But the construction project means more than the loss of a home. Helens brother, Robbie, who disappeared without a trace fifteen years earlier, suddenly resurfaces. As he re-enters his sisters life, he reveals the secret of why he left in the first place: a secret that tore their family apart, and affected Helens life in more ways than she ever realized. The second novel by Michael V. Smith, Progress is a stirring story of lives lost and found. For a full transcript of this program, please find here.
Biography of Author
Michael V. Smith is an assistant professor at UBC, where he teaches creative writing. His first novel, Cumberland, was shortlisted for the Amazon.com / Books in Canada First novel Award. His short fiction has won the Western Magazine Gold Award for Fiction and been nominated for the Journey Prize. In 2007, Smith received the Dayne Ogilvie Award for Emerging Gay Writers and Vancouver’s Community Hero of the Year Award. A native of Cornwall, Ontario, Smith currently lives in Kelowna, BC.
Author’s Titles at UBC Library
Smith, M. V., & Ellingsen, D. (2008). Body of text. Toronto: BookThug. [Link]
Smith, M. V. (2002). Cumberland. Toronto: Cormorant Books. [Link]
Smith, M. V. (2011). Progress: A novel. Toronto, Ont: Cormorant Books. [Link]
Smith, M. V. (2006). What you can’t have. Winnipeg: Signature Editions. [Link]