Snow Apples

This rich and complex coming-of-age novel is set in a remote British Columbia outport in the 1940s and told from the perspective of 16-year-old Sheila, whose dream is to go to university and become a nurse. However, she struggles against the expectations of her family and her boyfriend, Nels. They want her to stay at home and help her family until she is married and can raise a family of her own. Her only support comes from Helga Ness, the village oddity.