About the Author

Shandi Mitchell is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter. She spent her childhood on a military base on the prairies and now makes her home in Nova Scotia with her husband, Alan, and their dog, Annie. Under This Unbroken Sky is her first novel.

Reviews

"A magnificent novel. . . . A powerhouse of a debut that grips from start to finish." - Steven Galloway, author of the The Cellist of Sarajevo
"Under This Unbroken Sky is a dazzling novel. Shandi Mitchell's depiction of Depression-era prairie life has a vividness and veracity that brings to mind Willa Cather's fiction, but Mitchell's voice and her rendering of the human heart's complexities are completely her own. She is a writer of immense talent." - Ron Rash, author of Serena
"Unforgettable. . . . Mitchell's extraordinary rendering of human suffering is matched by her ability to give powerful imaginative shape to the will to survive, to care for others, and to forgive the most brutal of trespasses." - Janice Kulyk Keefer, author of The Ladies' Lending Library
"Utterly gripping. Epic in scope, this tale of family feuds, violence and hardship follows the fortunes of Theo Mykolayenko, a Ukrainian survivor of Stalin's labour camps who starts a new life in the harsh Canadian Prairies. . . . Beautifully pitched and unsentimental in execution. Brilliant." - Marie Claire (UK)
"[A] novel that focuses on the human condition. Mitchell excels at describing the family's state of poverty, where nothing is wasted, clothing is mended and reused, and everyone has a role in tending the crop. Readers want to root for this family." - Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers
"This ambitious novel, full of the minutiae of the savage existence of a frontier family, comprises a harsh picture of lives lived in an unforgiving landscape." - Publishers Weekly
"Remarkable. . . . Mitchell's harrowing story delivers an unforgettable literary tribute to an immigrant people and their struggle. The lyrical style, the riveting historical material, and the treatment of prejudice make the novel a great book-club choice." - Booklist (starred review)
"[An] unflinching debut. . . . There's a love for the land and the immigrant spirit throughout the book. This is one of the finest novels I have read this year--a lyrical, evocative tale of pioneer life from an immensely talented debut author." - Historical Novels Review

An immigrant Ukrainian family suffers unrelenting hardship on the tundra of late 1930s western Canada in this grim frontier tale. Thrown in prison for two years for helping himself to some of his own grain after defaulting on a homesteading contract, Ukrainian immigrant Theo Mykolayenko must deal with his nearly destitute wife and children. His oldest son helps to plow and plant fields owned by Theo's sister, Anna, who is married to Stefan, a wayward and violent military man. Theo's long-suffering wife, Maria, is tireless in caring for her family, nurturing the garden that feeds them and mending every stitch of clothing they wear. Meanwhile, unhappy Anna, pregnant with a child she does not want, is beguiled by the howling coyotes that surround the homestead at night. The extended family survives fire, dust storms, cold and hunger, only to face a nastier enemy much closer to home. This ambitious novel, full of the minutiae of the savage existence of a frontier family, comprises a harsh picture of lives lived in an unforgiving landscape, though some readers may find themselves wishing for an occasional break from the grinding woe. (Sept.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

"A magnificent novel. . . . A powerhouse of a debut that grips from start to finish." -- Steven Galloway, author of the The Cellist of Sarajevo"Unforgettable. . . . Mitchell's extraordinary rendering of human suffering is matched by her ability to give powerful imaginative shape to the will to survive, to care for others, and to forgive the most brutal of trespasses." -- Janice Kulyk Keefer, author of The Ladies' Lending Library"Remarkable. . . . Mitchell's harrowing story delivers an unforgettable literary tribute to an immigrant people and their struggle. The lyrical style, the riveting historical material, and the treatment of prejudice make the novel a great book-club choice." -- Booklist (starred review)"[An] unflinching debut. . . . There's a love for the land and the immigrant spirit throughout the book. This is one of the finest novels I have read this year--a lyrical, evocative tale of pioneer life from an immensely talented debut author." -- Historical Novels Review"Utterly gripping. Epic in scope, this tale of family feuds, violence and hardship follows the fortunes of Theo Mykolayenko, a Ukrainian survivor of Stalin's labour camps who starts a new life in the harsh Canadian Prairies. . . . Beautifully pitched and unsentimental in execution. Brilliant." -- Marie Claire (UK)