Laisha Rosnau: Little Fortress Book Launch, Thursday, Oct 3, 7-9 pm
Please join us in celebrating the release of Little Fortress, the long-awaited second novel byaward-winning local author, Laisha Rosnau.
Thursday, October 3rd7:00 - 9:00pmCaetani Studio Gallery
Little Fortress is based on the true story of the Caetani family, eccentric Roman nobility who emigrated to Vernon, BC—only to retreat from the outside world entirely.Charting the secrets and turmoil that create these mysterious circumstances, Rosnau untangles the complex ties between Ofelia, an agoraphobic duchess, her brilliant and artistic daughter, Sveva, and their loyal secretary, Miss Jüül.Told from the perspective of Miss Jüül, Rosnau paints a fierce, nuanced portrait of the relationships between three women, illuminating how we are shaped and tested by class, power and love.Moving from lavish Italian palaces to jazz era Paris, from bustling Cairo to rugged interior British Columbia, Little Fortress is an atmospheric, absorbing international journey, vividly capturing 20th century upheaval, and the lives and shifting roles of women in a changing world.It is a sweeping and intricate story of friendship, class, trust, betrayal and, ultimately, love.
Laisha Rosnau is the local author of the best-selling novel, The Sudden Weight of Snow, and four collections of poetry, most recently, Our Familiar Hunger, recipient of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize.Rosnau teaches at UBC Okanagan, and she and her family are resident caretakers of Bishop Wild Bird Sanctuary where they live in Coldstream, BC.Author photo credit: Renee Leveillee Bielby