Critical Injuries

Debbie Fyfe is the reference/Internet resources librarian in the
Information Services Division of the Edmonton Public Library.

This 9th novel by award-winning author Joan Barfoot is about two paths
that cross, intertwine, and change lives forever.

Isla is a professional career woman who, at 49, is making a life with
her devoted second husband, Lyle, whom she loves and trusts. Her grown
children are troubled but appear to be pulling themselves up. Though
Isla is still reeling from her harrowing first marriage, which ended
abruptly and painfully, she is beginning to enjoy the tranquil country
life that she shares with Lyle, a widower with two grown children of his
own.

Roddy, 17, lives with his father and grandmother in a small town, and
dreams of traveling the world. His mother committed suicide when he was
a child, and though he misses her, he does not truly understanding the
loss that he feels. Roddy and his best friend concoct a plan that will
help them escape their small-town life and deliver them to the exciting
lives they imagine. But the plan goes terribly wrong, and Roddy and Isla
meet in a fateful, tragic encounter that changes their lives—and the
lives of those around them—forever.

Critical Injuries is a story of healing, forgiveness, grace, and
personal growth of amazing (if not sometimes unbelievable) proportions,
which follows Isla’s and Roddy’s parallel efforts to find strength
to carry on. This widely acclaimed novel by a talented wordsmith is
highly recommended.