The Antique Picker's Daughter

By Melanie Dugan

"The first thing you need to know: They're not antiques.

The second thing you need to know: I'm not his daughter."

Life on the street in Toronto is hard, and with winter coming, it gets tougher. This is when Frankie first meets Francis, a man old enough to be her father. He starts training her in ?the game, ? as she comes to call it; buying or stealing collectibles and small antiques and reselling them at inflated prices. Through winter, spring, and early summer, the two become a team, traveling around small towns and villages in southern Ontario collecting the items Francis refers to as ?inventory.?

But it turns out life on the road holds dangers Frankie can't anticipate, and her precarious world tips into disaster when Francis abandons her in an unfamiliar town.

Betrayed, alone, and deserted, Frankie finds herself in a dangerous situation that will require all her skill and intelligence to survive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1834210321
• ISBN13: 9781834210322
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Inanna Publications & Education
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Antique Picker's Daughter

The Antique Picker's Daughter: A Novel is my first experience to reading by the new to me author, Melanie Dugan. I have to admit that it took a few chapters in to get used to the author's writing style and to understand as to what was happening. It did get a little confusing with the names at times, too. Once I caught on, I was hooked. It was a tale of a young teenaged girl, Frankie, who becomes homeless and having to travel throughout small towns in the southern part of Ontario. When her traveling companion, Francis, disappears, she has to find ways to survive on her own. I admired her bravery and courage as she navigates this new heart breaking life she was thrown into. I often wonder if she will figure out where she belongs. The story is full of adventure, thought provoking scenes, action, and danger. I wanted to read all the way to the end to find out what would become of her in the end. I am going to give The Antique Picker's Daughter: A Novel four stars. I believe fans of general and literary fiction about urban life. I would be interested in reading more from the talented author, Melanie Dugan, in the near future. I received a paperback advanced reader copy of Melanie Dugan's The Antique Picker's Daughter: A Novel from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.