Cherry Bites

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

At the age of four, Cherry Ring takes a “dime sized morsel of flesh
from the tender cheek” of her baby brother, Pete, because his
incessant crying infuriates her and the attention paid to “the newer,
more important member of the family” arouses her jealousy. She regrets
her impulsive act immediately, but it sets the stage for the lifelong
strained relationship between the siblings. Although Cherry tries to
love Pete, he consistently ignores her, refuses to speak to her, and
plays malicious tricks on her. The family becomes seriously
dysfunctional after her father’s death when Cherry is nine.

Now 45, Cherry writes a successful, biting column titled “No, But
Really” for the Winnipeg Free Press, and candidly admits, “My column
hurts people.” Three events occur that force Cherry to do some
“serious remembering”: her late mother’s journal arrives in the
mail; her old boyfriend re-enters her life; and Pete, whom for almost 20
years she believed dead, reappears in Winnipeg, alive and vindictive.
Cherry both fears and loves her drug-addicted sibling. His revelations
convince her that her whole life has been based on lies.

Preston’s third novel, a mystery set in the Norwood Flats area of
Winnipeg, focuses on Cherry and her journey of self-discovery. Its
mystery lies in untangling the why of family dynamics and revealing the
lifelong effects of past events. Cherry, as narrator, is deftly
presented as a multi-dimensional character: intelligent, comfortable
with a few friends, satisfied with her job, yet with an underlying
“darkness that live[s] inside.” Prose rich with insightful and
realistic nuances advances the psychologically intense plot.

Nominated for several awards, Cherry Bites is not the usual whodunit,
but a thought-provoking examination of the mysteries hidden among the
ordinary.