A funny and poignant story about coming of age after you've already grown up.
Sloane Sawyer had it all planned—she and her best friend Stephie would graduate from high school, get out of Tippett Valley and have dazzling complementary careers. Sloane would become an award-winning graphic designer, creating band posters using Stephie's artwork. She would also have a loving husband, the requisite two kids and a house with a white picket fence. As she turns thirty, Sloane has a boring job and a boss who ignores her. She has no children, doesn't own a house, has gained fifteen pounds and questions how her video game-playing husband could possibly love her. And Stephie, working in a bar and living in Tippett Valley with the disreputable Randy, is increasingly distant. Even as Sloane clings to her dream, she comes to realize that she and Stephie won't be able to move forward until they finally confront an old tragedy.
Emma L.R. Hogg
is a born writer. After graduating from the University of Guelph, she began work on the first of six novels she self-published. Her fifth novel, The Fourth Wall (2015) was shortlisted for the Whistler Independent Book Award for Fiction; her next book, Winona Rising (2018) was a finalist for the same award. Her poetry has been published in Carousel magazine.Having lived in multiple Ontario cities, she now calls Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario home.
"There are some powerful lessons learned, transforming a somewhat bleak book into one of a powerful message of hope and perseverance. The symbolism of picket fences floats throughout the novel, coming to the surface occasionally and bringing together a cohesive imagery that ties so beautifully with the story itself. There is other symbolism and imagery that I found quite poignant. . . This is a work of literary fiction that encompasses many themes that are relatable to millennial women, and it has some valuable messages that everyone could learn from."
— Goodreads 4 Star review
"Those, just good darn story, books are what always edges out my beloved thrillers for favorite. While I don't know what the rest of my reading year will bring (in 2020 it's best not to tempt fate), I have a contender for number one!
"I just read Picket Fences by Emma L. R. Hogg. Ms. Hogg is a Canadian author and they are lucky to have her! I LOVED this book. I was in the middle of reading a major thriller and foolishly read the first few pages of Picket Fences, two days later I'm finished. I don't know how to describe it to you, it's one of those stories that is about nothing and everything. It is the story of a young woman, Sloane, and her friend from high school, Stephie. They made plans for their lives but, as it does for most of us, life changes. . . It's complicated yet simple, happy yet sad. I found myself laughing out loud and then teary eyed. The storytelling is masterful and I will not forget Picket Fences for a very long time.
— The Fictional Housewife blog
"By the end, there are some powerful lessons learned, transforming a somewhat bleak book into one of a powerful message of hope and perseverance.
"The symbolism of Picket Fences floats throughout the novel, coming to the surface occasionally and bringing together a cohesive imagery that ties so beautifully with the story itself. There is other symbolism and imagery that I found quite poignant, including Sloan's fitness tracker that her mother gifted to her. Sloan tries so hard to get the counter up to 10,000 steps every day, only to have it reset at midnight. This ties quite nicely to the concept that Sloan putting in effort in the wrong places, and her frustration from not making progress towards achieving satisfaction with her life.
"This is a work of literary fiction that encompasses many themes that are relatable to millennial women, and it has some valuable messages that everyone could learn from."
— Power Librarian blog
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