In a Canadian logging town, two young people meet in junior high and become a couple for the remainder of their school years. During that time they cope with rumors of mill layoffs, a bully who terrorizes the girl, and a tragedy that affects the whole town.

This novella is a fond and unhurried look at a town's life and the development of the youngsters, in particular. I really enjoyed it until the last few pages, when all of a sudden a hurried ending was tacked on to fill in the futures of the young couple. After the leisurely pace of the rest of the story, this was very jarring and kind of ruined the book for me.

William Prendiville’s debut novella Atlantic Winds is set in the 1970s in the small island community of Bear Lake, off mainland Canada. It opens with an ominous prologue, as a one-time resident of the town returns and visits a grave at the cemetery. In contrast, the ensuing chapters of the novella evoke a wistful, tender atmosphere, centred as they are around teenagers Tom and Sasha’s first attempts at love. The growth of their relationship has something bucolic about it: nurtured by the play of the changing seasons, at its idyllic best amidst natural surroundings.

However, this coming-of-age story also develops against the backdrop of civil unrest in the town of Bear Lake, which relies for its economic survival on the beleaguered logging industry. As employees are laid off and unions escalate industrial action, the tension rises in a community which is already prone to gossip and divisions. Sasha’s father is a factory foreman and Tom longs to get away from it all. It will take all of the young lovers’ efforts to avoid getting sucked into this incendiary vortex.

Atlantic Winds is a little gem. Its writing is lyrical, characters are well-drawn, the dialogue convincing and the plot has some unexpected turns. By its poignant conclusion, it was reminding me of the verismo operas of the early 20th Century or the short stories of Giovanni Verga. Admittedly, this comparison might seem unlikely applied to a contemporary novella by an Irish-born, Paris-based writer. Since I would like to avoid spoilers, I invite you to read the work for yourself and see whether or not you agree.

I really enjoyed this book. I read more books from this publisher and I think they select very nice titles. Bottled Goods was one of their books that was also nominated for Women's Prize for fiction this year.
This book is a little novella that has a lot to offer. It's set in a small town in Canada in 1970s. Economy in this town is dependent on one industry. So, it's about the issues occurring for different people.
I liked the characters, the size of the book, how much it offered in this short format.
I'd definitely recommend.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes the nicest things come in the smallest package. In this case, a novella issued via an independent publisher that says all it has to say, with economy and heart. A small, isolated logging town in Canada in the 1970's is experiencing the municipal problems inherent in a town where the economy is dependent on one industry, and the kids are feeling the fallout. There are individual issues same as anywhere, no matter the population size or even the era, and Prendiville has created some truly sympathetic characters.

Atlantic Winds is a pocket sized novella by William Prendiville and part of indie publisher Fairlight Books' "Moderns" series (an admirable series intended to support emerging writers of literary fiction).

The story takes place in 1970s Canada in the troubled logging town of Bear Lake. Layoffs, strikes, and union politics play backdrop to the coming of age tale of Tom and Sasha, two young town residents whose courtship is intrinsically tied into the town's struggles. Sasha is the daughter of the mill foreman, while Tom dreads never being able to escape the small town and being stuck at the mill when he gets older. Small town atmosphere dominates the proceedings: gossip is rife, everyone knows everyone, and secrets are hard to keep for long, leading to a combustible, poignant, and slightly disturbing denouement.

While the book may be small (I read it in a little less than an hour), it's sustained by lyrical prose and deep characterization, and is a worthy representation of the goal of Fairlight's Moderns series.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Fairlight Books.**