"For David Adams Richards, 'blood ties' is not only a figure of speech; it is an assertion of the reality of life in small-town Canada, where blood ties people in countless, almost unknowable ways to friends, community, and landscape. The lives of three generations of MacDurmots paint a portrait of New Brunswick's Miramichi Valley that is enticing and insightful, witty and tender. Employing stunning angles of vision and fast-shifting perspectives, Richards captures the inner lives of his characters with sympathy and understanding."--P. [4] of cover.