Jane Montgomery Griffiths

When the body of his oldest friend is found buried in a shallow grave, Dan, a small-town cop, seeks answers from a volatile hermit who was the last person to see his friend alive. As Dan gets closer to the truth, he must confront his own personal demons and he discovers that hope can be found in unlikely places.

Vianne, a feisty – almost 70yo has received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Her oldest child Connie, a detached and somewhat hard-headed individual decides to be her mother’s sole carer. The two younger children, Quinn and Amal, both come to keep vigil as Vianne’s passing looms. Each child has a different way of grieving. For Connie, denial and pragmatism allow her to hold grief at arms length. Quinn, a single gay father to Lachie is more of a quiet observer – who possesses an emotional maturity and innate ability to hold space for his mother. Spirited and passionate Amal, adopted from Sri Lanka as a baby, has feelings of abandonment which suddenly begin to intermingle with the imminent loss, while his devoted partner Maddie, does everything in her power to support him. As Vianne tackles her impending death with humour and humility, the onus falls on each child to face the inevitable and choose presence and peace, or letting this milestone moment pass them by.

Beginning in a time of relative peace, we follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Five different people at different times of their lives bond at a wedding after being seated together at the singles table. After a few too many drinks, the solution to all of their problems seems to be buying a five-bedroom house together.