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A modern fairy-tale penned in crystal-clear language

North

Sien Volders

Vancouver, 1980. Sarah is a silversmith faced with a dilemma. Should she continue creating her own art, or should she accept the offer made by a large jewellery firm? Sarah travels north, looking for answers and insights. In the remote gold mining town of Forty Mile, she meets Mary, an older woman who runs the post office and village store.

In her time in the north, Sarah becomes acquainted with two musician friends who are each other’s opposites: the dependable Jacob and the troubled, volatile Adam. Both are men who live for music, freedom and the pursuit of an untamed existence.

‘North’ is populated by yet another trio: Mary in her younger days, Walker and the late Rick. Here again, the path of two friends crosses that of a woman. Along the way, Sarah learns how Mary’s life has been a foreshadowing of her own, and what it means to be free.

Wild, dark, romantic and almost addictively well-written ****
Focus Knack

‘North’ is a carefully crafted novel about the search for direction and artistic freedom, set against the rugged landscape of Northern Canada. It tells of choice and indecision: the choice between art and life, between friendship and love, between the freedom of being a self-employed designer and the compromises inevitably linked to the greater renown brought by the jewellery brand, between Vancouver and the harsh life in the north, and between the musical styles that are entwined with each location.

The relationships between the characters, their love and friendship for one another, their aspirations and ambitions, their tragedies and demons, their desires and disappointments immerse the reader into a world full of recognisable themes.

The penetrating atmosphere and the careful, precise structure are compelling.
De Morgen
Volders has introduced a strong, unforgettable female character to the literary stage.
De Volkskrant