Bird at the Window

Bird at the Window was the winner of the 1972 Search-For-A-New-Alberta-Novelist Competition, sponsored by the Creative Writing Division, Cultural Development Branch of the Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation.

Blonde, Beautiful, and very young, Angela is finishing high school in a small farming community in the foothills of the Rockies when she discovered she is pregnant. She can't possibly tell her father, a taciturn, narrow-minded Irish farmer, or her mother, a self-contained English woman. On an impulse, Angela confides in Mr. Olson, her English teacher, but does not tell another soul -- least of all the boy responsible.

Outwardly serene, Angela goes ahead with plans to spend a year in Europe. When at last she's on her own, she revels for two days in the excitement London offers a first-time visitor, but is sharply brought back to reality in the confining atmosphere of her grandparents' house in the Midlands. When summer is over, she flees from her grandparents and, instead of travelling to the continent, goes to London to wait out her pregnancy.

As the months creep by, Angela, longing for warmth and understanding but wanting to stand alone, manages to keep the possibilities of her life open; she is no longer 'a bird at the window' trying to get in.

Told with grace and artistry, Jan Truss's prize-winning novel is far more than the story of a young girl running away from her pregnancy. It is a moving testament to youth's resilience and joy in life.

After winning the writing competition in 1972, author Jan Truss had a prolific career as a novelist, playwright, and short story writer.

Her daughter, SallyV Truss, is honoured to narrate her award-winning book, now available for the first time in audio. SallyV is a storyteller, singer-songwriter, filmmaker and author. Recent projects include 'Jan Truss: into the archives', collections of poems, rants, and songspiel 'HWY22', 'Fates' and 'Ley Lines & Land Mines', among many others. Please visit www.sallyvtruss.ca