The Big Why

Funny, surprising, and thoroughly honest, Michael Winter’s fictional memoir about the famed American artist Rockwell Kent bares all, now with a new introduction by award-winning author of The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt.

In 1914, the American artist Rockwell Kent escapes his bustling life in New York City for the quaint, rural town of Brigus, Newfoundland. He has been drawn north by the picturesque landscape of the Atlantic, seeking a simpler, quieter life. Always fascinated and inspired by cold climates, Kent imagines his new home to be a utopia and the perfect place to work on his art and marriage.

Notorious for his flighty relationships with various women and his radical, socialist thinking, the artist’s beliefs and way of life run drastically against those of the community. And on the cusp of the First World War, tensions and suspicions run high; a newcomer could be anyone, including a German spy.

In this fictionalized memoir, Winter explores the life of an artist who was not fully understood or accepted in his time and place. Funny, surprising, and thoroughly honest about our desires and contradictions, The Big Why bares all.