Where Lives Take Root
Young Adult/Adult Fiction

Where Lives Take Root is a re-write of Kilbourne’s award-winning debut novel, Day of the Dog-tooth Violets. With two new chapters, fresh dialogue and critically revised scenes, this novel is guaranteed to entertain. It is aimed at young adults, but will also be enjoyed by readers of adult literary fiction.

Spanning two continents, one war and several generations,
Where Lives Take Root follows the stories of three unforgettable characters as their lives become forever linked and grounded
in Muskoka. First there is Nan, a grown woman and mother of
two young boys who suddenly discovers her family secret: that
her deceased mother was half Chippewa. Then there is Gunner,
a First Nations classmate from Nan's small rural community
and the only reference point Nan has to her new identity.
Finally, there is Hamar, Gunner's father, a displaced Norwegian
who escaped his homeland during the German occupation
and found himself at the end of the war, still tied to the
Norwegian airforce training camp in Muskoka.

Weaving together different decades and narrative points of
view, Where Lives Take Root is about the universal search
for identity and belonging. Suitable for both adults and young
adults, this story examines the meaning of blood and ancestry
and the inevitable conclusion that what really matters is not
about race or religion, but about finding a place and purpose
in the world.