Heather Jessup's The Lightning Field has the potential to be a Canadian classic. Set in Cold War Toronto, Jessup writes with incredible depth, detail and insight. The novel spans four decades and sheds light on the Avro Arrow, but it's when Lucy Jacobs is struck by lightning in a field the narrative unravels. Jessup's take on suburbia, lost dreams and hopes mirrors a generation of parents whose children are left to wonder if any possibilities for the future remain. Readers often wonder the same for themselves. The Lightning Field is a beautiful debut, and it's certainly hard not honour Jessup's decade long accomplishment. This is a strike of literary gorgeousness.
