Description:
Annie Jalmer stands uneasily between opposing Communists and Fascist forces in her 1930s Rocky Mountain town. As the radical politics of her family inflame tensions throughout the town, Annie becomes an unwilling double agent until a violent strike forces her to take a stand. Revolution Songs is the electrifying debut novel by award-winning writer Carissa Halton, inspired by the little-known story of a Communist union, the rise of the Canadian Ku Klux Klan, and the women who fought on both sides. Set against the charged backdrop of Depression-era politics, Halton weaves a thrilling and timely story that echoes the rising polarization of our own era.
Brief description:
Carissa Halton is an award-winning writer of fiction and creative non-fiction in Edmonton, Alberta. Her essays have been widely published, and her book, Little Yellow House: Finding Community in a Changing Neighbourhood, was a finalist for the 2019 Edmonton Book Prize. Revolution Songs is her debut novel.
Review Quotes:
"Lovers of historical fiction will be hard-pressed to find a novel more packed full of drama than this one." -- Angie Abdou, Alberta Views
"[Carissa Halton] achieves a fine balance between historical accuracy and fictional liberties, which enliven the novel. Perhaps most important, she emphasizes women's stories that are often elided from history." --Andrew Pudlak, Literary Review of Canada
"This was an incredible debut novel that hit particularly hard considering what's going on in the world right now." --Recipes and Paperbacks