Cry of an Osprey

When Jax Vanbeermen can’t be woken one morning, he’s rushed to the hospital and onto life support. The 48-year-old’s devastating diagnosis: stroke. Over four agonizing days, his adoring younger sister, Amelia, and his former lover, Ben Olsen, stand vigil, each buffeted by heartbreak, guilt and by memories, happy and sad, of the man who’d been the centre of their lives. Twelve years ago, Jax, openly gay and the life of every party, and Ben, a shy gay Mennonite cabinetmaker with three young children and an oppositional ex-wife, had fallen in love. After societal and personal pressures, and one unforgivable mistake forced their breakup, neither ever recovered, though they’d recently been finding their way back to each other. Ben realizes that they may never get their second chance, and blames himself. Amelia tortures herself with thoughts of what she should have known or done to change the course of her brother’s life.

Facing a possible future without Jax, Ben and Amelia must help each other accept all that will now remain unsaid and find a way forward. Set against the stunning natural backdrop of Ontario’s Blue Mountains and Georgian Bay.