For the Love of My Sister: Paula Gallant’s Legacy, is a memoir of love, family, loss, tragedy, determination, endurance—and more love. It is the story of Paula Anne Gallant that has been waiting to be told for nearly 20 years.
The book, written from the heart by her sister, Lynn Gallant Blackburn, takes the reader from an idyllic Cape Breton childhood into young adulthood. When Paula is found murdered in her car in 2005, aged only 36, the strength and love of her family are put to the test. The unveiling of events that followed Paula’s death are carefully documented, revealing the inadequacies and attitudes of the various departments involved in the case and its aftermath.
This book is particularly poignant in light of several recent incidents of intimate partner deaths in our province. Throughout the book, Blackburn exposes many areas of gender imbalance that we, as a society, can no longer ignore.
Blackburn does not just tell the story of her sister’s death, but also celebrates her life. In addition to testimony and court documents, the book contains beloved recipes, family stories, and the recounting of love and support from family, friends and community.
For the Love of My Sister is a personal, emotional ride well worth going on.