No Good Asking

A Novel

By: Fran Kimmel

Narrated by: Tracey Hoyt, Jonathan Watton

A profoundly moving exploration of our capacity to heal one another.

Ellie and Eric Nyland have moved their two sons back to Eric’s childhood farmhouse, hoping for a fresh start. But there’s no denying it, their family is falling apart, each one of them isolated by private sorrows, stresses, and missed signals. With every passing day, Ellie’s hopes are buried deeper in the harsh winter snows.

When Eric finds Hannah Finch, the girl across the road, wandering alone in the bitter cold, his rusty police instincts kick in, and he soon discovers there are bad things happening in the girl’s house. With nowhere else to send her, the Nylands reluctantly agree to let Hannah stay with them until she can find a new home after the Christmas holidays. But Hannah proves to be more balm than burden, and the Nylands discover that the only thing harder than taking Hannah in may be letting her go.

©2018 Fran Kimmel (P)2018 ECW Press

Critic reviews

“Kimmel’s novel has only a few characters, but they all possess presence and depth and experience honest changes. The strong sense of place serves as an additional relationship for the characters to negotiate.” (Library Journal)

“Quietly powerful.... In less careful hands, this story could have come across as sentimental or melodramatic; instead, it takes shape as a guardedly hopeful tale of resilience.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Moving.... The seemingly mundane scenes - a family dinner, for example - are the most powerful in the story and demonstrate our capacity to heal one another through compassion and kindness.” (Canadian Living)