In this brilliant and poetic new novel， Brian Doyle takes readers back to the Gatineau River near Ottawa， the world of his previous works， Uncle Ronald and Up to Low. Mary Ann Alice McCrank， named after the pretty church bell in the steeple of St. Martin’s Church in Martindale， is passionately interested in the geology of her part of the world. Her teacher， the wonderful Patchy Drizzle， shares her fondness for rocks and fossils， many of which can be found along the river and in caves under the famous Paugan Falls. But a new project to dam the river places rocks， fossils， and the falls in danger and threatens many farms — including those of Mean Hughie and the strange Cork family. But the dam must be built. And， as with much technological change， it brings both benefits and hardships to the community. “[Brian Doyle’s] stories are funny beyond words and not occasionally heartbreaking in the same way.” — The Globe and Mail