The Shore Girl: a Novel
The Shore Girl follows Rebee from her toddler to teen years as she grapples with her mother’s fears and addictions, and her own desires for a normal life. Through a series of narrators—family, friends, teachers, strangers, and Rebee herself—her family’s dark past, and the core of her mother’s despair, are slowly revealed.
ISBN-10: 1927063175
ISBN-13: 978-1927063170
NeWest Press, Edmonton, 2012
Reviews
Fran Kimmel either doesn’t have a narrow mind or is just a lot brighter than many of us. Or more aware. Her book The Shore Girl, the story of Rebee Shore, shows the world of single motherhood and their kids from the inside out…
— Carin Makus, (At) Eleven: Chatting with Writers Series
[i]llustrates the havoc of the young girl’s upbringing in a way that is both raw and heartbreaking… Kimmel’s debut will appeal to those who are drawn to dark, gritty family dramas, rife with vulnerable characters in turmoil.
— Vanessa Blakeslee, Quill & Quire
With first novel, Fran Kimmel confirms her gift for small canvases.
— Jim Bartley, The Globe and Mail
[E]ach chapter is a jewel of a short story on its own...The Shore Girl's kooky yet realistic characters, true-to-life smells and sounds and scenes conjure up an unidealized world both familiar and alien. Like Harmony's van speeding through Wild Rose Country, it leads the reader into an in-depth examination of human emotions and motives.
— Laurie Glenn Norris, Telegraph-Journal
Rebee has no use for pity, and her independence, however dimly arrived at, is the one thing that offers her a glimmer of hope.
— David Berry, National Post
Shore Girl is a surefire winner.
— Catherine Ford, The Calgary Herald
Rebee is someone who will touch you; she is someone I wish I could know.
— Joy Fisher, Coastal Spectator
Kimmel has created realistic characters, characters who resonate with the reader — people we have met, either in real life or in news reports: real, raw, hurting, coping, failing, surviving characters.
— Annie Vigna, FreeFall Magazine
The Shore Girl is a book that starts and ends with a bang. It's both a journey and a character study, and it is well worth your time.
— Alexis Keinlen, Daily Herald Tribune
Kimmel has a laser-like ability to see into the minds of her hurt characters, and she uses short sentences to deliver crisp observations.
— Candace Fertile, Alberta Views
