By Ewa Chwojko-Srawley

The Briars was the centre of his life as a child and as an adult. It had been the heart of Andrew Sibbald’s family for nearly 150 years. With a wealth of stories woven into its walls, it felt only natural for him to choose this iconic setting as the backdrop for his new novel The Briars Between.

For the last couple of decades, before the property was sold, he gave historical tours of the Briars and the area, delving deeply into historical documents to bring the past to life. “I had all that research trapped in my brain” he recalls. “During the pandemic, stuck by myself away from my family, I entertained myself by letting it roll out onto the page. I expected the story would be for my family only.”

But it was destined to reach a much broader audience.

In The Briars Between, historical events and real-life figures come alive through Emily, a fictional teenage girl, who takes us back to the Georgina of 1919. The author says, “Emily came to me to tell her story. Why a girl? Growing up in the hospitality industry, a female-dominated world, I spent a lot of time with women of all ages. I was not a girl; I do not have a sister. But I have two daughters, and I have coached teenage girls with the Sutton Curling Club. Observation has been my best tool. Emily is likely a composite of my daughters.”

The story is set just after the end of World War I, a time of major transition. “Not only was 1919 halfway through the village’s 200-year history,” says Sibbald, “but it was also a turning point for life there.” The village’s first major industry, providing ice, was about to come to an end. It had been the primary refrigerant for Toronto and its environs, but electricity would soon replace it. Though trains had recently replaced the steamboats, motor cars and newly built roads would reduce their need and open the north. Tourism moved northward.”

Andrew Sibbald

For the Sibbalds, the changing times and lack of funding were creating a dilemma. “My grandfather, who inherited the property in 1919, had to transform the Briars from a once profitable ‘gentleman’s farm’ into something new,” he adds.  

The Sibbald family is full of colourful characters. There are the adventurers—Susan Sibbald and her children, who brought stories, artwork, and cultural understanding from around the world—and the great-grandparents who thrived in building frontier communities.

Sibbald says, “My grandparents were deeply involved in leading and rebuilding this community, while simultaneously seeking ways to hold the property together. Great-great Aunt Bessie and my mother, both clergy’s daughters, carried on the spiritual care of those around them. Then there was my father—the artist and environmentalist—with a huge imagination.

“With the family remaining at The Briars, those influences became part of the woodwork. They come out in this book. Our continuing on the same property also connected us to the land. It allowed us to feel and build on the magic that the property exudes. I imagine that gave us tendrils of the strong link between the Indigenous people and Turtle Island.”

When asked which historical figure featured in the book he would love to sit down with, Sibbald replies, “Miss Bessie, my great-great-aunt. With her training being that of a minister’s daughter, and with a society working against her, she had to create a way to support that huge, expensive-to-operate property. She also worked with the local women and with society women of Toronto to move feminism forward. She travelled a lot. I’d love to find out her vision of how the future might play out.”

There is room for the story to continue. Emily and her Métis friend, Jackie, will have to use their kid-power, to prevent everything from crumbling down. The story is captivating to read for all generations.

Sibbald says that the book is not listed as a children’s book. “The publisher said adults and children eight and over would enjoy it. I agree.”

The author held several book readings and signings in our community, attracting many readers. The events were highly successful, sparking engaging discussions.

To find out more and to purchase a copy visit:

https://www.andrewsibbald.ca/my-books

Mike Anderson
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