After Helen

Susan Merskey is freelance writer in London, Ontario.

The death of his wife, Helen, over a year earlier has left history
teacher Irving Cruikshank consumed by a grief he cannot articulate. Now
Severn, his teenage daughter, has disappeared, after stealing a book
that may tell her more about her mother than she ever wanted to know. As
he searches for his daughter, Irving comes face to face with some
long-buried family secrets of his own—secrets he will have to reveal
if he wants to preserve his relationship with his daughter.

The story moves back and forth in time, from the desperate efforts of
the lonely widower to understand his teenage daughter, to his turbulent
relationship with Helen a generation earlier, to some hints of the good
years that they all enjoyed as a family before Helen’s death.

The historian Irving’s attempts to discover the fate of his ancestor,
Sir John Franklin, are a fascinating addition to the plot, although the
constant switching from past to present to historical past is sometimes
confusing. The author is clearly knowledgeable about London, Ontario,
where the novel is set, but his main characters lack depth.