Fans of local author Rhonda Stock got a narrated tour of Depression-era Canada as depicted in Rhonda Stock’s latest novel, at the Estevan Public Library. Stock read snippets of her second work in the historical Dust and Devils series, to fans. In addition to reading chapters from her newest book, Sin and Salvation, Stock signed fans’ copies of the book.
Sin and Salvationtakes off where the previous instalment, Dust and Devils left off, following the dangerous adventures of Jake Harrow, navigating Western Canada during the 1930s, in the midst of the Great Depression.
“Jake returns home to his family only long enough for the dust from the last adventure to settle. He soon discovers his father’s enemies know of his existence and are searching for him, because they think it’d be easier to make him talk than his old man,” said Stock. “He’s unable to go home, because he doesn’t want to bring harm to his family.”
Stock said that Sin and Salvation takes Jake from the streets of Edmonton to the Vancouver shipyards, with him eventually facing a pivotal life-and-death decision in northern Manitoba, after a chance meeting. The chapter Stock read to fans at the library entailed a precarious freight train ride across the Prairies, establishing the dangerous tone of the story.
“I like writing historical fiction because I take everyday people and put them into historical events. I think a lot of history books focus on key political figures, kings and queens and people making big decisions,” said Stock. “I’m much more interested in how the average person coped with events. I want to write about how a homeless stiff would survive the Great Depression.”
Stock’s writing is heavily steeped in Depression-era imagery, drawing on intensive research. Stock said her interest in writing about the Depression-era began with her grandfather telling her stories about growing up in the Dust Bowl during that time.
“I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like it again. Everything kind of combined: the drought, the stock market collapse, the recession and political climate, the lack of social services —all those things combined to create a windstorm that swept across the nation,” said Stock. “It’s also interesting because it produced such a generation of resourceful, strong people who refused to give up.”
Stock said a great deal her research is hands-on. The Prairie-born author admitted she needed to familiarize herself with northern Manitoba’s forest before writing scenes that take place in such a region.
“I once spent hours pasting together a set of railroad maps from the ‘30s that I found online, and then another hour calculating how long it would take (Jake) to get to various locations,” said Stock.
The reading brought out a group of eight loyal fans.
“A lot of the same people turn up to hear me read,” said Stock. “It’s pretty nice to have some local fans.”
