An intimate look at the life of a female Superior Court judge, January entwines two stories – one personal, one professional – over one challenging, transformative year.

In the month of January, The Honourable Marie Corbett is adjudicating criminal trials on childhood sex abuse and other difficult cases. At the same time, she faces the imminent death from cancer of her closest friend, Anne Armstrong Gibson. Recently widowed, Anne must prepare her two young sons for life without her.

Marie travels daily between hospital ward and courtroom, reflecting on her own role as mother, wife, and trial judge. Recognizing the limitations of the criminal justice system, devastated by the death of her friend, Marie embarks on a path of self-discovery and faces a choice between civic duty and the life she wants to live.

The Hon. Marie Corbett is a retired Canadian Superior Court trial judge. A dedicated crusader for social justice in Canada, she was first woman president of the Canadian Environmental Law Association—just one of many achievements during Marie’s 13-year career.

Marie Corbett lives and writes in Avondale, Newfoundland.

Marie Corbett's profile page