On December 7, 1917, in the heart of the World War I, two ships collided in Halifax harbour. The resulting explosion killed over 2,000 people and injured some 6,000 more. The facts of the incident have been well documented, but in Curse of the Narrows, Laura M. Mac Donald presents an exceptional narrative account of the tragedy, the first time a writer has told the whole story of how the military, volunteers and ordinary citizens united to organize one of the most complex relief efforts in North American history.