Catherine Hernandez delves into profound emotional truths through economical yet exquisite prose, creating nuanced, well-formed characters that leap off the page. With a unique narrator and inventive storytelling, The Story of Us expertly captures the complexities and joys of human connection.” –Zalika Reid-Benta, author of Frying Plantain

From the author of Canada Reads finalist Scarborough, a stunning new novel about the unbreakable bond of family and the magic that can happen when we meet in the middle

Like many Overseas Filipino Workers, Mary Grace Concepcion has lived a life of sacrifices. First, she left her husband, Ale, to be a caregiver in Hong Kong. Now, she has travelled even farther, to Canada, in the hopes of one day sponsoring Ale and having children of their own.

But when she arrives in Toronto, she must navigate a series of bewildering and careless employers and unruly children. Mary Grace seeks new employment as a Personal Support Worker and begins caring for Liz, an elderly patient suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, whose health is as fragile as her rundown bungalow beside the Rouge River in Scarborough. While Mary Grace’s time with her charge challenges her conservative beliefs, she soon becomes Liz’s biggest ally, and the friendship that grows between them will turn out to be just as legendary as Liz’s past.

Beautifully narrated by the all-seeing eye of Mary Grace’s newborn baby, The Story of Us is a novel about sisterhood, about blood and chosen family, and about how belonging can be found where we least expect it.

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Shelf Life Books | Calgary Public Library | Audible

BE CURIOUSER

• Excerpt: Catherine Hernandez’s novel The Story of Us is about love and the ‘power of family’ – CBC Books
• Radio: Catherine Hernandez wrote a story about chosen family from the perspective of a newborn baby – The Next Chapter, CBC
• Catherine Hernandez’s new book The Story of Us takes us inside the Fililpina diaspora; a story of class and social structures – The Toronto Star
• Catherine Hernandez’s The Story of Us explores the hopefulness of human connection – The Globe and Mail
• The top 30 books to read in 2023 – The Globe and Mail