Gail Anderson-Dargatz  

Gail's Novels

the cure for death by lightning 450

Only a few books truly capture the heart and imagination. Gail Anderson-Dargatz's The Cure for Death by Lightning is such a one -- rich, thrilling, classically told, and as filled with beauty and the magic of life as it is with strange deeds and dark fears.

Gail's first novel met with terrific acclaim and was a finalist for the prestigious Giller Prize.

This international bestseller also won the UK’s Betty Trask Award, the BC Book Prize for Fiction and the VanCity Book Prize, and was a finalist for the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award. The novel has been translated into many languages worldwide.

About the book:

The Cure for Death by Lightning takes place against the backdrop of daily life on a farm in remote Turtle Valley, British Columbia, during World War II. Beth Weeks is fifteen years old and lives with her parents and rebellious older brother. Strange things are happening: a classmate of Beth's is mauled to death; children go missing on the nearby reserve; and Beth herself is being hunted by an unseen predator. The valley is home to a host of eccentric but familiar characters -- Nora, a Native girl in whose friendship Beth takes refuge; Filthy Billy, the hired hand who is thought to be possessed; Nora's mother, who has a man's voice and an extra little finger; and Beth's haunted mother, who recipes are laced throughout the novel, providing luscious descriptions of food, gardening, fruit-picking and preserving, and remedies, both practical and bizarre.

To order:

Please support your local independent bookseller, or buy online through Chapters Indigo, Amazon.ca, or McNally Robinson.

To order an ebook, buy online through Amazon Kindle, Google, eBooks.com, or Kobo.

Gail's Hi-Lo Books

About Gail

Gail's novels have been national and international bestsellers and two have been short-listed for the Giller Prize, among other awards. She works with writers from around the world on her online teaching forums.