Long Stretch

From the Giller Prize-winning author of The Bishop’s Man comes a mesmerizing novel in the tradition of Alistair MacLeod, David Adams Richards and Ann-Marie MacDonald.

In one apocalyptic night, John Gillis and his estranged cousin, Sextus, confront a half century of half-truths and suppositions that have shaped and scarred their lives, their families and their insular Cape Breton community. Telling stories that unravel a host of secrets, they begin to realize that they were damaged before they were born, their fathers and a close friend forming an unholy trilogy in a tragic moment of war. Among the roots of a complex andpainful relationship, they uncover the truth of a fateful day John has spent 20 years trying to forget.

Taut and brilliantly paced, The Long Stretch is etched with quiet humour and crafted with fiery dialogue.

“[A] stylistically assured and mature first novel.” - Toronto Star

“MacIntyre conveys the language and the landscape of Cape Breton very effectively. . . . Evokes the complex relations that can draw families together and yet slowly drive them apart.” - Quill & Quire

“I can’t tell you enough how much I absolutely love this book. . . . If you live in Cape Breton or Newfoundland, you’re going to love this book. . . . I did not want to put it down.” - Candy Palmater, The Candy Show