To Refrain From Embracing
Jeffrey Luscombe
From the backdrop of an impoverished steel-working community in working-class Hamilton, Ontario, in the 1970s, To Refrain From Embracing follows the trials facing a small family after an attempted suicide leaves veteran Ted checked into a psychiatric hospital. His wife struggles with family finances and growing concern for the well-being of their young son while also rediscovering her Indigenous identity through encounters with a handsome steelworker. The son's struggles with his nascent sexuality, lack of acceptance from his peers, and fears about his father's mental health lead him to a friendship with a troubled teen. Jeffrey Luscombe's new novel is a dark and comedic tale of a family squeezed by personal and societal precepts of class, race, and sexuality.
Paperback
Cover and interior design by Ryan Vance