Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx set this story in a small fishing town in Newfoundland. The protagonist Quoyle, a middle-aged loser, comes home with his daughters to make a new life, but instead discovers a devastating family secret. Along the way, the reader gets a unique glimpse of a vanishing way of life in rural Newfoundland.

This book was made into a movie starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchette, and Judi Dench. Proulx also wrote the short story "Brokeback Mountain", the basis for the movie of the same name. Her writing style is honest, to-the-point, and raw like the emotions she evokes. An excellent read for someone looking for substance in fiction.