How far can the road to a new beginning take you?
Ruthie is thirty-eight. She’s just lost her job and her fiancé, she’s sleeping on a friend’s creaky sofa, and she’s drowning her sorrows in wine. She feels that both she and her struggling bank account are in desperate need of a change. An advert from a certain David March, looking for a carer to accompany his elderly mother on a journey from Canada’s east coast all the way to him in Vancouver on the other side of the country. With the prospect of a generous reward and a welcome break from her daily routine, Ruthie enthusiastically accepts the offer.
Her main task is to ensure they reach their destination safely. However, as soon as they set off, seventy-two-year-old Kay pulls out a long list of things she would like to experience and do during this cross-continental pilgrimage, and it’s certainly not just about tame sightseeing. While David’s wish is to have his mother with him as quickly as possible, the women share their stories along the way, and Ruthie discovers that fulfilling her employer’s request will be more difficult than she ever imagined…
An uncertain and long journey awaits the pair of travellers, who have little in common, where the present intertwines with the past and no wish is secret. Will Ruthie find the right turning to finally take her life into her own hands? And what about Kay? Is she really just meant to live out her days in the suffocating care of her son? This crazy ride invites you on a road trip through the endless, fascinating Canadian landscape, at the end of which everyone might just get a second chance.
Published in a translation by Jiří Chodil.
