Roderick O'Grady Books

Set in North America, this is the story of Minnie and her step-Dad Dan, who still live in the remote cabin where she was born at the foothills of the pine-forested mountain that her mother had loved so much. Still stinging from her Mother’s recent death, Minnie and Dan struggle to make sense of their lives together and Minnie longs to explore the way she and her Mom once did, canoeing along the shores of the sea or hiking up through the forest trails – but Dan always seems too busy working. One day Minnie sets off up the mountain with her friend Billy to search for the forest fire that has been raging for days on the other side of the mountain, only to find instead a set of huge footprints that could only belong to one thing… a sasquatch (an ape-like creature from North American folklore, also known as a bigfoot)!

A debut novel by O’Grady, who was previously credited with penning an award-winning play for the London fringe, the story sensitively explores the process of bereavement while also balancing the differing views of two different ‘peoples’ by telling the story from the dual perspectives of Minnie and a juvenile Sasquatch, Kaayii, with their ancient culture and beliefs so closely entwined with nature.

This is an exciting story tinged with sadness but ultimately of joy, as Minnie and Kaayii discover a mutual bond of respect and understanding that brings their families closer and helps them move on from the tragedy they have both experienced.