Strong Hollow

By Linda Little

In her bold debut novel, Linda Little has crafted a story where music, creativity, and sexuality merge, as a young Nova Scotian carver embarks on a profound discovery of his sense of self. Strong Hollow tells the story of Jackson Bigney, a young man coping with a crippling past of repression, alcoholism, and poverty. Failure seems built-in to Jackson's life. His father, a brutal man with a short fuse, despises his son, and Jackson's brothers thrive on drinking, violence and petty crime. Jackson finds solace only by carving tiny objects -- acorns, field mice, bottle caps and leaves -- as he has done since childhood. The day Jackson finds his father dead in a ditch beside the MacIntyre road is the day he begins his own metamorphosis. At nineteen, the seventh of nine children and the eldest still at home, Jackson seems predestined to follow in the feckless footsteps of his father. He becomes silent and empty, unable to feel or to articulate emotion. Setting himself up as a bootlegger, Jackson builds a small cabin. He lives only in the present, expecting no more from life than work, alcohol, and empty sex. One summer, Jackson meets Ian Sutherland, an accomplished fiddler and a powerful attraction develops between them. Twenty-nine and in love for the first time, Jackson feels alive with anticipation and fulfilment. Inevitably, at summer's end, Ian leaves and Jackson is shattered. Seeking to fill the void in this life, Jackson begins to restore a derelict fiddle. At a music shop in Halifax, he meets an accepting circle of friends. And as the fiddle takes shape, Jackson's perceptions of himself begin to change and he realizes that how the world sees you is how you come to see yourself.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0864923511
• ISBN13: 9780864923516
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Gle Library
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

book club loved it

My book club gave it seven thumbs up and no thumbs down. The protagonist kept me riveted from the beginning of the story when he dealt with his father's dead body. I'll read it again and no doubt find some more new insights and more little things that are so very clever. Thanks Linda, I'll be reading your other title(s) as well.

all time favourite

I initially picked up this book because it was set in Nova Scotia, the province of my roots. What a surprise I had in how much I enjoyed the read, actually several times over.I felt the author did an exceptional job in portraying the angst felt by the main character. At times I felt there was some stereotyping of Maritimers but it did not take away from the story. The author's character development was realistic, as was her handling of sensitive subject matters. The sensitivity of the subject matter added to the interest and the intrigue of the story.I don't think you will be disappointed if you give this book a try. I read alot and it is now one of my all time favourites.