<p>As a long, hot Saskatchewan summer dawns, Darby Swank’s life is forever changed when she finds her beloved aunt floating dead in a lake. All at once, her blinders are lifted and she sees the country lifestyle she’s always known in a whole new way, with hidden pain and anguish lurking behind familiar faces, and violence forever threatening to burst forth, like brushfire smouldering and dormant under the muskeg.</p><p>With her first novel, Lisa Guenther lays bare familial bonds, secret histories and the healing potential of art. <i>Friendly Fire</i> recalls the work of Ann-Marie MacDonald and Lynn Coady as it eviscerates small-town platitudes and brings important issues to light.</p><p><br>Praise for <i>Friendly Fire</i><br><br>'A well-paced character study with a strong sense of place.'<br>~ Leo Brent Robillard, <i>Backwater Review</i><br><br>'<i>Friendly Fire</i> is a remarkably honest and self-critical look at life in rural Saskatchewan.'<br>~ Tom Ingram, <i>The Winnipeg Review</i><br><br>'It's clear Guenther knows rural small-town life, and in this novel she paints a vivid picture of both its foibles and its merits.' <br>~ Sharon Chisvin, <i>Winnipeg Free Press</i></p>