A Family Place: A Man Returns to the Center of His Life

Tired of the frenetic pace of his life, worried that his 30-year marriage was in trouble, novelist Gaines ( Stay Hungry ) convinced his wife Patricia that they needed a change of scene. In 1990 they bought 160 acres on the northeast coast of Nova Scotia where they would construct a cabin and rebuild their lives together. The following summer the author, his wife, their three adult children, some friends and a local carpenter began work on the cabin. They lived in tents, without electricity or running water. In this charming account of that summer, Gaines combines the story of building the cabin with glimpses into his family history and a portrait of the Acadian community that surrounds his property. This is a heartwarming memoir of shared experiences and rediscovery. (Mar.)