I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. This book is on sale now.
Millicent is fresh out of journalism school and accepts a job in Whitehorse for a struggling daily newspaper. Shy and hardworking, Millicent struggles to find her footing in a new city at a paper that seems always on the point of failure. She moves in with a friend from university but their history together is fraught. Millicent becomes involved with an older man who seems to want to draw her into his grandiose plans but she is quickly losing sight of her own future.
This is a classic coming-of-age novel with a slightly older than teenage protagonist. Millicent is an adult but such a fresh one that she lacks a lot of her own agency and seems unable to stand up to the stronger tide of anyone else’s personality whether it’s her depressive boss, her energetic roommate, or her French-Canadian boyfriend. The story itself is thin in parts and not entirely unpredictable.
Where the book shines is in its setting. Whitehorse is the capital of and largest city in the northern Canadian territory of the Yukon. I’ve never been but people I know who are from there or have visited seem to love it. At the same time, the northern territories are widely acknowledged as “not for everyone”. The environment is harsh – cold with long and dark winters – even the largest city is a small one. Wikipedia tells me Whitehorse’s current population is about 28, 000, which is pretty similar to the number of people who live in my entire region of the Sunshine Coast. Our local newspaper comes out once a week so it was easy to see why Millicent’s daily paper was struggling to fill its pages.
In a community of that size, there is a lot of shared experience and it can be difficult to keep private things private. Sander-Green captures this well and I’m not surprised to learn that she has lived in Whitehorse as well as other small communities. I did laugh when Millicent writes a feature article on a man who lives on a school bus and it seems to be assumed that this is unusual and interesting enough to write a full page spread on. Because my town has someone who lives in a school bus near the Canadian Tire and they are not the only person locally to live in some sort of vehicle and our paper has never featured any of them in any way.
Karissa Reads Books 
Never having read a book about Yukon before, the setting appeals, though the story does sound a bit familiar. Local newspapers are always fun – I love looking at the dramatic front page of ours, usually something like “Lost Dog Found!” or “Unruly Youths Break Garden Gnome!”
I love our local paper! There have been great front pages like “Local Barber Retires”, “Truck Carrying Straw Spills”, or “Mayor Attends Opening of Bus Stop”. My favourite is the RCMP’s biweekly column of local crimes. I can’t imagine how they would put out a daily newspaper. The setting really is the strongest part of the book and what elevates a rather familiar story.
I read a true crime book from the area, and the daily paper was so gossipy and personal. Stuff like so-and-so struggling with squirrels again. It’s sounds like small papers can be fun, but are they different than what we reveal on social media?
I think that can depend a lot on the editor/oversight of the paper. Ours is owned by some larger media group so it stays pretty professional. I have noticed a shift in tone when the longtime editor (a man) retired and a younger woman took over. The most gossipy section tends to be the letters! I’ve quit all our local social media groups because they’re filled with people complaining about stuff. But the paper focuses on bigger issues, at least ones that affect more of the town’s population.
Oooooh, local letters would be so fun to read.
I went to school as a kid in a town of 3000 and we were always laughing at the local paper for what it tried to pass off as “news” lol.
Your praise of the setting portrayal in this one reminds me of reading Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone several years ago, set in recent-historical Alaska as a struggling family tries to survive their first winter after moving into the state; I wasn’t sure it would work for me because I don’t always like nature writing, but it did entirely draw me in. Harsh environments often seem to have a way of showcasing human nature in unique and interesting ways.
I haven’t read The Great Alone but I could see that being a good comparison.
A lot of our local “crime” seems to revolve around animals being where they shouldn’t be which never fails to make me laugh when it’s reported in the paper.
Hmm this does sound interesting. Also interesting that House of Anansi released another book about a journalist working at a struggling local paper in 2024- Bury the Lead! I’m sensing a theme here…
That’s funny – I hadn’t made that connection. Unfortunately, struggling local papers is a pretty common thing, I guess.