ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1806, a young Orkney woman disguises herself as a man and signs on with the Company of Adventures to work in what was then called Rupert's Land. Under her false name she works "willingly and well" until December 29, 1807, when she is discovered about to give birth. Based loosely on a few historical references, Isobel Gunn is a rich and evocative tale about an unusual woman. Beautifully crafted, richly detailed, this new novel from award-winning author Audrey Thomas is both a fascinating journey into the past and a profoundly affecting exploration of the territory of the human heart.

Audrey Thomas was born and raised in New York State but has lived and worked on Canada's west coast since 1959. Her short story collections include Two in the Bush and Other Stories; Real Mothers; Goodbye Harold, Good Luck; and The Wild Blue Yonder, which won the 1990 Ethel Wilson Fiction Award (the BC Book Prize).

She is also the author of a number of highly acclaimed novels including Latakia, Mrs Blood, Songs My Mother Taught Me, Intertidal Life and Graven Images. Her most recent novel, Coming Down from Wa, was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award and won the Ethel Wilson Prize. Audrey Thomas has also received the Marian Engel Award, the Canada-Australia Prize and the Canada-Scotland Literary Fellowship.