Alaska Highway Two-Step

Lynne Perras is a communication arts instructor in the Faculty of
General Studies, University of Calgary.

This charming, energetic, and immensely readable novel chronicles the
story of Mercy Brown, a 34-year-old freelance writer who discovers much
about herself, and her past, while pursuing a writing assignment up the
Alaska Highway.

In the course of her physical and psychological journey, Mercy
discovers her eccentric and fascinating aunt’s journals and the
mysteries contained within them. Woodward explores the validity of
premonitions and precognitive dreams through Mercy’s gift of
“seeing.” The most delightful of the novel’s themes, however, is
the strong relationship between Mercy and her beloved dog and traveling
companion, Sadie.

In a journal entry, Mercy’s aunt, a dancer in the 1920s, wonders,
“What shall I do with my life? What is it that I must do with these
small gifts I possess?” It is a pleasure to follow Mercy’s search
for the answers to these same questions.