Publisher's Synopsis
Thomas Chalet grew up in a town that does not and has not ever existed. It's what every person, map, organization and official document he's ever inspected has claimed, and yet his memories remain.
Jaggabas was the name of his hometown, a small, and remote locality that was the northernmost community in all of Manitoba. A place abounding with mystery, intrigue and terrible secrets. Whether it be mutilated animals, unexplained disappearances, sightings of evil things in the woods or an ominously out of place annual festival, one thing is certain; nothing is what it seems in Jaggabas.
After someone breaks into his family's home, Thomas and his friends begin to look deeper into the odd events despite the warnings from the town's elders and the apparent reluctance of the authorities. Slowly they begin to uncover the truth hidden deep beneath the frozen fields and unveil a web of malfeasance more sadistic than they could've possibly imagined. Their investigation culminates with a horrific tragedy that forces all residents to flee Jaggabas forever.
Now an adult, Thomas Chalet has dealt with the repercussions of his childhood ever since that fateful night. Doctors, medication and subtle inculcation have very nearly convinced him that he is not of sound mind. On the verge of a new life, a sudden surprise meeting from an old friend brings the haunting memories back once more. Despite the pain it has caused him, and the fear that consumes him, Thomas realizes that sometimes there is no escaping the past.
With friends both old and new, he manages to identify the depraved network of people responsible for ruining their lives and the lives of many others. The scared little boy he once was remains, but the man he has become is determined to seek justice for those so cruelly robbed of it. The choices he makes culminate in consequences for all those involved, and the revelations ensure that his life and the life of many others will never be the same.
The Town That Made Me is a story about childhood trauma and the difficulties with overcoming them. It highlights the anguish of mental illness and the thin line between hiding from memories and facing them. It is a novel sure to excite, horrify, anger and provoke the thoughts of its reader. It's complex narrative and underlying tones elicit questions for which there may be no satisfactory answer. Thomas Chalet has lived a sordid and complicated life, and this is only the beginning.
In the name of progress, no crime is too great.