The Inquirer
hen an accident jeopardizing the family farm draws Amiah Williams back to Kingsley, Alberta, population 1431, she doesn’t expect her homecoming to make front-page news.
But there she is in The Inquirer, the mysterious tabloid that is airing her hometown’s dirty laundry. Alongside stories of high school rivalries and truck-bed love affairs, disturbing revelations about Amiah’s past and present are selling papers and fuelling small-town gossip. As the stakes get higher, Amiah must either expose the twisted truth behind The Inquirer or watch her life fall apart again.
Jaclyn Dawn’s debut novel provides an incisive look at the lingering consequences of past relationships and the price of both staying silent and speaking up.
BOOK
PURCHASE
Prologue
Kingsley Grocery was of a dying breed in Alberta, found only in small towns. An old building with mismatched shelving, faded linoleum, and chipped paint. It was too warm in the summer and too cold in the winter, which was hell on the perishables. It might be better described as a convenience store than a grocery store. The new Minimart off the highway next to the truck stop was better: newer, bigger, cheaper.
And yet everyone shopped at Kingsley Grocery at least a couple times a month. Most made excuses. They said they stopped for the convenience. Kingsley Grocery was, after all, sandwiched between the bank and the hardware store in the heart of town. They stopped for the home-baked goods. The owner’s wife, Mrs. Wong, sold her rock-hard cookies and dry squares at the counter. They stopped for the quick checkout, although the three tills at the Minimart could hardly be described as busy. They also said they wanted to support small business owners in the community, even if that meant paying five dollars more for a carton of eggs, a gallon of milk, and a loaf of bread, all of which would spoil a week sooner than the same purchases made at the Minimart. Few admitted the real reason everyone chose Kingsley Grocery.
The newspaper rack stood at the end of the counter. On the bottom shelf was the Edmonton Journal, the middle the Edmonton Sun, and the top the Kingsley Inquirer. Alongside the papers was a locked box the size of a dinner roast with ‘Kingsley Inquirer: Advertisment, Submision & Payment’ misspelt on the side. Even Mr. Wong claimed not to know who was behind the Inquirer, but Kingsley Grocery was the only store that sold it.
The Inquirer was the real reason people shopped at Kingsley Grocery.
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**Due to the COVID-19 situation, school presentations, in-person book club visits, and the following advertised events will be rescheduled for a later and safer date.**
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NEWS & REVIEWS
• Author Interview with Mandy Eve-Barnett
•The gift of reading: Ten of the year’s best books by local authors to look out for (Edmonton Journal)
• My Small Press Writing Day Interview with Rob McLennan
• Podcast interview with NeWest Press Audio
• Small town secrets make sensational story (St. Albert Gazette)
• NeWest announces their 51st addition to the Nunatak First Fiction Series!
“A clever novel that reveals both the anxieties and strengths woven into tight-knit communities. The Inquirer is a thoroughly enjoyable read.” – Lisa Guenther, author of Friendly Fire
“In The Inquirer, Jaclyn Dawn has crafted something so rare-a great story full of fascinating characters, sly humour, and understated intelligence-that news of its appearance might just get reported in the tabloids her novel so lovingly satirizes. Amiah Williams’s journey back to her hometown of Kingsley, Alberta, is funny and winning, neither of which factors obscure the troubling realities young women too often face.”
– Curtis Gillespie, author of Almost There
“Canadian literature is filled with stories that look whimsically back at small-town life. This is anything but that. The Inquirer is a refreshing departure from so many tired Canadian tropes.” – Steven Sandor, Avenue Edmonton
“Anyone who has left their small community to strike out in search of greater horizons, seemingly unconflicted but actually conflicted, can relate.” – Jay Smith, Alberta Views
“Dawn’s writing style has the reader wanting more, even as the story concludes.” – Amanda Gavigan, Girly Book Club
“…a fast read that’s light-hearted, funny, and sweet.” – Worn Pages and Ink
(spoiler warning)
“This is an excellent beginning for a new writer, with a good eye for detail and intriguing plots.”
– Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail
“The humour and pluck of Wynonna Earp, but with an entirely different set of demons (and an entirely different method of coping with them), meets the small-town feel of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, with a gossipy twist.
– All Lit Up
“Dawn sets a brisk, engaging pace while tactfully dealing with the nuances of coercive relationships, the strain of living up to appearances and expectations, and the cost of finding one’s voice. A fresh, enticingly told coming-of-age story.”
– Kirkus Reviews (spoiler warning)
Contact the author with general inquiries or to schedule an interview, book club appearance, or speaking engagement.
hello@jaclyndawn.com
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Logo: Travis Sarvas, Sarvas Design Co. | Author Photo: Michelle Wurban, One Shot Photography | Publisher: NeWest Press