What kind of shadow does a family secret cast over the child? Mark Aherne is a middle-aged, married man living in Chicago. He’s estranged from his parents in Boston, his father having bullied and belittled him throughout his childhood. One Sunday he receives a desperate phone call from his...

Imagine you are 18 and fall in love with a handsome, wealthy young man. Your romantic dreams have come true - except his family hates you! Montreal, 1951. Rebecca Wiseman, 18, a bright college student, lives with her working-class parents. At a local dance, she meets a handsome young...

A series of three short stories introducing Rebecca, a Canadian teenager, living in Montreal during the 1940s. In the title story,  The Blue Dress, Rebecca receives a second-hand blue dress as a gift. When she is forced to give up her hand-made needlepoint pillow in return, she finds...