Between Mountains

"[Helwig’s] political commitment adds unusual forcefulness to this eloquent combination of war report, courtroom drama and love story. The subject is inevitably grim, but the story is so well structured, the writing so elegant, that it manages to be enjoyable as well as moving, an easy though never light read."
—Sunday Telegraph

"In Between Mountains . . . [Helwig] explores the less well-traveled road of post-war horrors, when nightmares return to haunt those who have witnessed or perpetrated them."
—Books in Canada

"Helwig achieves a rare weave with Between Mountains. … an unexpected pleasure are the sections on translation. Leave it to the author of seven volumes of poetry to describe the act of changing languages so that it seems as dangerous and thrilling as the work of a California firefighter, with twice as many split-second decisions. …"
—Quill & Quire

"The depth of her understanding — both of Balkan particulars and universal human flaws — fills this book with moving scenes and striking perceptions."
—The Globe and Mail

"A profound novel."
—Winnipeg Free Press

"This is a stunning novel from a new voice, a deserving contender for this year’s prize shortlists."
—Ink (UK)

"One of Maggie Helwig’s many accomplishments in this astonishing novel is her ability to render murderers, victims, and helpless bystanders as equally human. Her political intelligence and spiritual generosity make Between Mountains both a profound gesture of remembrance, as well as a deeply moving work of art."
—Michael Redhill, author of Martin Sloane

"Maggie Helwig’s novel puts a human face to the criminal destruction of a place once called Yugoslavia. She reminds us that war ravages the souls of all who find themselves caught in its grasp, including journalists from afar; and of the healing power of love."
—Erna Paris, author of Long Shadows

"When guns and flags stop talking, writers come to heal. Between Mountains is a rare novel about the repercussions of war. From Helwig’s beautiful novel one can learn more about honesty, passion for truth and love than from almost any other book on the tragic conflict in the Balkans."
—Goran Simic, author of Immigrant Blues

"A passionate and poetic love story which never flinches from its task of exploring the way history compromises our lives."
—Ben Richards, author of The Mermaid and the Drunks

Praise for Maggie Helwig:
"[Helwig is a] passionate observer and witness to the world around her."
—Broken Pencil

"An inventive, intelligent, and unorthodox thinker."
—Paragraph

"Helwig knows the precise details that render a scene true."
—Quill & Quire

"Helwig’s strength is to take concrete subjects and generalize about the mystery of what it is to be human."
—Malahat Review