These are Emily's last five days in Lightning Cove, a community on the northeast coast of Newfoundland where she struggles to free herself from an oppressive husband. Her life, she senses, is only half-occupied. All of which explains the three plane tickets hidden beneath a loose floorboard in the basement - one for herself and one each for her two youngsters. But a lot can happen in five days. With the town on the verge of a massive collapse because of layoffs and the workers facing a possible plant closure, the air is already tense. And Emily senses that her few close friends may be on the cusp of discovering her secret. Like so many things in her life, Emily's freedom has been a long time coming. Now she knows it won't come without a fight.

The second youngest of eight children, Darren was born in Fogo Island, Newfoundland, but grew up in Labrador City. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Memorial University’s Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing from Toronto’s Humber School for Writers. Darren makes his living as both an actor and writer, and lives in Toronto with his wife, Michelle, two dogs, and cat. He is currently working on his second novel.

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• Long-listed, ReLit Award

This volume is a gripping read, literally a page-turner from start to finish. The stakes are high, and the situation both familiar and dire.

"Flight" is about a woman attempting to take flight, courtesy of a cache of hidden funds and plane tickets, so carefully bought and long concealed. With luck, she is coming to the end of a long deception, one that involves her family, her friends and perhaps even herself.

The domestic details are apt, real.