Best Part of Us

2021 15th Annual Indie Excellence Juror's Choice Award WinnerThe Best Part of Usby Sally Cole-Misch is a lush debut novel which explores nature, family, and land with nuance and patience.Affinity MagazineBeth cherished her childhood summers on a pristine northern Canadian lake, where she reveled in the sweet smell of dew on early morning hikes, the loons evening trills across the lakes many bays, every brush stroke of her brothers paintings celebrating their cherished place, and their grandfathers laughter as he welcomed neighbors to their annual Welsh harvest celebration. Theirs was an unshakeable bond with nature, family, and friends, renewed every summer on their island of granite and pines.But that bond was threatened and then torn apart, first as rights to their island were questioned and then by nature itself, and the family was forced to leave. Fourteen years later, Beth has created a new life in urban Chicago. There, shes erected a solid barrier between the past and present, no matter how much it costsuntil her grandfather asks her to return to the island to determine its fate. Will she choose to preserve who she has become, or risk everything to discover if what was lost still remains?The Best Part of Us will immerse readers in a breathtaking natural world, a fresh perspective on loyalty, and an exquisite ode to the essential roles that family, nature, and place hold in all of our lives.