The Wards by Terry Doyle

The Wards are a working-class Newfoundland family on the cusp of upheaval. The children are becoming adults, the adults are growing old, and the new dog was probably stolen. When a sudden illness forces the Wards together, can they finally learn to be close-knit? 

This unsettling, at times hilarious novel explores the instability of nuclear families and the depths of dysfunction.

Family is family—you don’t get to choose.

So what, exactly, do you get to choose?