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eBook Category: Family/Relationships
eBook Description: Dahlia Cassidy drove back from Tofino in her '57 Chev in a foul and bitter mood. She felt as if she'd been driving out of Tofino, one way or the other, all her life. She knew it was a dumb thought. There wasn't a choice of one way or another when you drove out of, or for that matter into, Tofino. There was THE road--you either took it or stayed where you were. Driving From Tofino is a contemporary look at the life of a single mother trying to make ends meet, while at the same time discovering her own identity.

eBook Publisher: Electric eBook Publishing, Published: 2001
Fictionwise Release Date: June 2003

Available eBook Formats [Secure - What's this?]:
All formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
Microsoft Reader ISBN: 1553520025
Adobe Reader ISBN: 1553520025   What's this?

Anne Cameron doesn't develop characters. She skins them--stripping the skin away with a sure cut and a butcher's eye. So with few bloody strokes you find yourself in Dalia's head and she's angry, with a visceral, boiling woman's anger. But you never feel unsympathetic--the voice is authentic and it draws you in. This is a strong woman, honest and committed. And if she doesn't cut people around her any slack, she cuts herself even less. I suspect this is as true of Cameron as well as Dalia. What heals her and grabs the reader is her momma-lion love for her children and her fearless, earthy clear-sightedness. And the soil. Her sense of the land is vibrant and protective. Not since John Steinbeck have I heard such a voice. Clear and rich with narrative undertones of Hemmingway. Warmly recommended. This is one damn good writer. --David Bell, iWayWest.com

?Yeah. You did okay."

Those three words, "you did okay,? coming from his big brother, did more for Pepe than a HERO badge could have done. He sat, his skinny little legs dangling over the edge of the raft, his still baby feet paddling gently in the water, and heaved in huge gulps of air. Dal put her arms on the raft, crossed them and put her chin on the back of her wrist. She grinned at the Pape. He grinned back at her.

"C?mon up,? he invited.

"I have to catch my breath first,? she lied.

"I'll help."

"In a minute. I'm way lots older than you are, eh, and it's a long swim for an old broad."

Pape accepted that. Why not? What did the Pape know about old or not old, he had hardly been here long enough to be young let alone understand the concept. He patted Dal's arm, and lay on his side, pulling his legs up onto the sun-warmed wood of the raft. He shivered a few times, and then was sound asleep. The other kids stepped over him as they made their way to the diving tower. Nobody mentioned his fatigue, nobody said anything about the distance being a challenge for him, and his only bit of praise had been ?you did okay? from his big brother.

Dal heaved herself onto the raft, climbed the frame of the diving tower, and launched herself. She made no attempt to shallow her dive, she let herself go down, down, down into the lake, down into the dark water. Local legend had it that Leo Deutsche had gone down so deep he'd grabbed a handful of mud and gravel from the bottom and taken it back up with him. Dal had never tried that, she just enjoyed the sudden change in temperature, and enjoyed even more the sight when she turned and headed back up again. The light shafted from above, the raft seemed to be hanging in midair, the water warmed with each kick up and she knew there would be that wonderful moment when she thought she was out of the water, but wouldn't be. If you sucked in air then, when the water was as bright as the air, you'd wind up choking. The trick was to hang on until you felt the breeze on your skin.

She saw it then, under the raft. She kicked like hell, made it to the surface, gulped air, and then wakened Pape as gently as she could.

"Everyone back to shore,? she said quietly.

"Huh? Why?? Skip gaped

"C?mon. The word is Emergency, okay??

"What's wrong?? Button was heading for the edge of the raft, and didn't wait for an answer, she just launched herself and started stroking.

Dal swam on her back, Pape half lying on her belly, between her legs. He thought it was all a wonderful game, and he kicked as hard as he could.

"Emergency? was all she said to Pan, and it was enough. Dal raced for the car, got the keys out of the ashtray, and was off. Not at full speed--why spray grass, leaves, dirt and dog shit onto your own blanket?

She didn't have far to drive, there was a mini-mart less than a quarter of a mile from the lake. She raced in, feeling her pulse starting to quicken. "Telephone,? she gasped, "I need your telephone.?