A Matter of Time — Diane Desrochers

Before Hiroshima there was Halifax. On December 6, 1917, two ships collide in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, resulting in an explosion killing 2,000 with another 9,000 injured. A Matter of Time is an historical novel about Ted O'Neill and his family's nightmarish survival of this horrific event. The eighteen-year-old watchmaker apprentice struggles with personal tragedy as the city begins rebuilding. A year later, despite heroic efforts to recover, the family faces another blow that changes the course of their lives forever. Desperate to fulfill his destiny, yet burdened with family responsibilities, Ted guides the family through hardship, watching his own dreams fade. Deep in the throes of trying to heal his own broken heart, can he reach beyond adversity, even as his family unravels around him?