"A hopeful feminist tale that advocates for women and children, without demonizing all men." Andree Graveley, Poet. Set in 1925 against the landscape of Saskatchewan's vast prairie, To Reap the Finest Wheat is a heart wrenching tale of love and loss, a story of struggle and survival-and of a young woman who went to Canada to begin a new life and found a world that would change her life forever. After an ill-fated affair with an Orthodox priest leaves Katerina Danek unmarried and with an illegitimate son, she enters into a Faustian bargain. She agrees to give up her child and cultured life in L'viv, Ukraine in exchange for an arranged marriage to widower, Viktor Senyk, and a fresh start in the isolated prairie town of Bilik, Saskatchewan. Upon arrival, she learns that Viktor has a ten-year-old son, a fragile boy who is still grieving the loss of his mother. Although her new husband is a highly respected member of the community, Katerina soon discovers that, in private, he is an abusive alcoholic. A tragic farm accident and an encounter at a mental hospital raise Katerina's suspicions about her husband's past and the fate of his late wife. Frightened for her life, she is desperate to escape. Leaving Viktor might be a viable choice if she wasn't penniless and if she hadn't grown to love the boy. Riddled by guilt, Katerina must choose between saving herself and protecting her stepson. Or can she do both?
