This Godforsaken Place

At the heart of This Godforsaken Place is a woman determined to live her life “large,” guided by her mother’s insistence that a small compass leads to a small life. Travelling from Britain to northwestern Ontario, Abigail believes she is embarking on an adventure—but she has no idea how profoundly her life is about to expand.

Her world shifts irrevocably when she encounters a wounded member of the Jesse James Gang. What begins as an impulsive attempt to seek justice becomes an epic journey across borders—geographical, moral, and social. Set against dramatic myths of the Canadian wilderness and the American Wild West, Abigail’s adventure introduces her to some of the most infamous characters of her time—including Annie Oakley and Gabiel Dumont, who will take you with them into the world of the Wild Bill Cody Show.  

This historical fiction novel explores enduring questions that continue to resonate with modern readers:

• What does courage look like when the possible cannot be imagined without first taking a risk?
• How do people in a New World transcend the limits imposed by the Old?
• Can individual autonomy meaningfully challenge injustice?

Rooted in Canadian history, This Godforsaken Place revisits a moment when frontier life was changing rapidly on both sides of the 49th parallel. In Minnesota, the Jesse James Gang tested the limits of law enforcement, while in Saskatchewan, Gabriel Dumont and Louis Riel challenged the authority of a young nation during the North-West Rebellion.

Drawing on her background in Canadian literature, historical novelist Cinda Gault weaves fact and fiction into a narrative that is both emotionally compelling and meticulously researched.

This women-centered historical fiction novel explores themes that resonate strongly with contemporary readers and book clubs:

• Women’s resilience under extreme constraint
• Moral choice within unjust systems
• Female agency in the face of social expectation
• Acts of resistance that provide new perspectives of history

These themes connect directly to Gault’s speaking work on women in history, Canadian literature, and the relevance of historical experience to modern life.

“History is retold in thrilling fashion and shapes the course of the final chapters of this fast-paced, beautifully written yarn.”
— The Chronicle Journal

“Gault reimagines the Western in the tradition of Patrick deWitt and Guy Vanderhaeghe, updating a touchstone genre and making it her own.”
— The Winnipeg Review

“Abigail’s brash, dryly humorous voice makes her an engaging heroine… her descriptions of the mostly unpopulated landscape are starkly beautiful.”
— Historical Novel Society

“Gault smoothly weaves two very different historical episodes into the story of Abigail Peacock from Wabigoon, Ontario.”
— Consumed by Ink

“This is a story where the women save the man—and he graciously accepts the outcome. The subtle play on social norms and expectations for women is refreshing, revealing, and often funny.”
— Take a Gander

This Godforsaken Place is widely discussed in book clubs, classrooms, and public talks focused on Canadian historical fiction, women’s studies, and historical novels about women.

Find out more:

 A Small Compass — a Canadian historical novel about women’s survival and courage in early 19th-century Canada

 Everything I Hope For — a women-centred historical fiction novel set in 1970s Toronto