Things are strongest where they're broken.

“He'd shoved his toque and mitts into the sleeve of his parka when he'd come in …”

“She'd wanted to run an inn. To welcome people, to mother them. They had no chil…”

“Every year the hunters shot cows and horses and family pets and each other. And…”

“Three Pines wasn’t on any tourist map, being too far off any main or even secon…”