I liked this gentle account of the arrival of David, a gay Australian, in a remote Canadian town for a year long teaching assignment. There are issues running through it, not least the homophobia he encounters once gossip gets around, but these are kept under tight control, and the main focus is on the town and its collective personality, the endless meetings and committees that pass for entertainment, and the weather conditions everyone has to contend with.

Comparisons with "The Shipping News" are hard to avoid. There are so many parallels - the arrival of a newcomer, the remote Canadian location, the newspaper. But this one is a more conventional read, easier to follow. Even the structure - a chapter for every month, helps to orientate the reader.

There was gentle humour. I particularly liked the bit where David is accused of violent intentions towards ageing busybody Walter and he retorts "what do you think I'm going to do - tread on his false teeth?".

A point arrived late in the book when I was sure I knew how it was all going to end, and I was convinced missing neighbour Oakey was going to turn up dressed in a miniskirt and high heels and demand to be addressed as Mildred from thenceforth, but I am sure it will not count as a spoiler if I say I was totally wrong. The book packs a punch or two at the end, but as I mentioned earlier it never allows the big meaty issues to become the main focus. It is above all a very very dignified book. ( )

A light mystery, revolving around an exchange teacher from Australia to Nova Scotia. The teacher is gay, and unsure about the relationship with his current boyfriend. He is unwilling to come out in the close-knit community in Nova Scotia.
There are, of course, other mysteries brewing in Nova Scotia.

A well written novel, in Jinks' usual fluid style. It drags a little in places. Jinks, refreshingly, doesn't make a big deal about homosexuality, rather leaving it understated and beside the point. ( )