In southern Alberta during the hot, dry August of 1909, young cousins meet again after a lengthy separation of their families. Tenderness is the bittersweet story of Luke and Rachel as they come to terms with their losses through learning more of a shared heritage. Written in a style evoking the prairies of a century ago, J. Michael Fay's story unfolds with quiet and gentle grace and a reverence for the era, the setting and his characters.

Tenderness is the first short story to be ePublished as part of a series from IslandShorts.

J. Michael Fay's profile page

Michael Fay's aptly titled Tenderness dramatizes the bond between two young cousins in southern Alberta in 1909 formed when a family member dies tragically. Fay's lucid, elegant and enduring prose is tinted with the classic light of W.O. Mitchell's "Who Has Seen the Wind" and Wallace Stegner's "Wolf Willow". Authentic and convincing, Fay's voice here is entirely his own and completely contemporary.

Bruce Hunter is an award-winning novelist and poet.