Sounding Line

Finished February 4
Sounding Line by Anne DeGrace
This novel is set in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia, and follows an incident of a UFO that disappeared into the bay, and what the effect is on the community.
We see young Pocket Snow and his family, a mother slowly fading, a father afraid to let her go, and an uncle holding the family together.
We see Pocket's classmate Cuff and his boasting and wild schemes that come to nothing. There is also their quieter friend Ernie and his silent determination.
This is a small but closeknit community and while there are disagreements and divisions, they also come together when it is needed.
Arriving in town is a young reporter from Ottawa, unsure of himself, and looking for a way forward to his own life. Also new to town is a woman with psychic abilities who has come to assure the aliens that they are welcomed.
Despite the initial event and its otherworldliness, this novel is very grounded. One gets a very real sense of the community and the dreams of the young men here.
Based on a true event of a UFO sighting in Nova Scotia in the 1960s, this novel takes the idea in interesting directions. A great read.