Flowers of Heaven A Family's Story of Love and Loss on Colpoy's Bay
A family tragedy occurs in Wiarton, Ontario, on May 28, 1941; a soon-to-be divorced wife and mother is found dead by suicide in Colpoy’s Bay. The night before, Gretchen Kastner left her two young children at her parents’ home, went for a walk, and never returned. Vividly told, the story of Gretchen unravels through the voices of her family, the community, and the medical establishment in an Ontario lumber town on Colpoy’s Bay.
Combining meticulous research of social and political events of Gretchen’s era with family stories and archival research, author and granddaughter of Gretchen Kastner, Debbie Morrison, re-creates true events using fictionalized narrative to tell a story that embodies the challenges women faced in marriage, divorce, mental health, and human rights in mid-twentieth century Canada. Insightful and moving, Flowers of Heaven shines a light on how far we’ve come yet still need to go.
Flowers of Heaven is a must-read for enthusiasts of Canadian social and political history, women’s roles and rights in the mid-twentieth century and for readers seeking an engaging story about a community and family’s response to an unusual tragedy in the midst of World War II.
Published March 2024 Biography/History/Canada/Women's History ISBN number: 979-8-88-1236434
WHERE TO ORDER Available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca Booksellers can purchase copies via Ingram: ISBN 979-88-8-1236434 To purchase a signed copy, or for bulk orders email Debbie via the contact page