Two women. Both born in McAdam. Both raised in McAdam. Both having left McAdam years ago to pursue their careers, to follow their dreams.
Both returning to McAdam on September 25 to share a shining moment.
One is real, the other fictional.
And their stories meet at the McAdam Station.
Author Mary O’Keefe returns to her hometown McAdam, New Brunswick, on Sunday, September 25 to celebrate the launch of her first novel, Unclaimed Baggage, at 2 p.m.
The final chapter in the successful “Abigail Massey at McAdam Station” saga, Unclaimed Baggage tells the tragic but heart-warming story of an aging woman, Abigail Massey, who returns to her hometown in rural New Brunswick to make one last attempt at repairing her relationship with her once beloved cousin.
“Abigail and her cousin Martha were torn apart by tragic events at the end of the Second World War and have not spoken to each other since 1944,” O’Keefe explained. “I’ve set the novel in 2017, when Abigail, now in her 90s and living in Ontario, decides to make one final visit home to McAdam in hopes of solving the mystery that has kept her and her cousin apart for more than 70 years.”
A retired nurse and health consultant who has spent most of her life in Fredericton, O’Keefe seems perfectly suited to write this final Abigail novel.
“We have a lot in common, this character and I,” O’Keefe said with a smile. “We were both born and raised in McAdam with the Station playing an important role in our lives. And, like every McAdam native, no matter where our lives have taken us, this amazing little village in rural New Brunswick has always held a special place in our hearts.”
Introduced almost 15 years ago as a fund-raiser for the McAdam Historical Restoration Commission, the Abigail Massey stories have entertained thousands of readers, young and old, across New Brunswick and around the world.
“The Abigail stories are based on the lives of the young women who lived and worked at the McAdam Railroad Station and Hotel in the 1940s,” O’Keefe explained. “We’ve now published five collections of stories, one novella, a coffee table book, and now the new novel, all in support of the restoration of this gorgeous national landmark. I think we’ve raised between $40,000 and $50,000 for the Station so far and I really hope Unclaimed Baggage captures our readers’ imaginations the way the original story books have.”
Mary O’Keefe will launch her new novel, Unclaimed Baggage, at a special event on Sunday, September 25 at 2 p.m. at the McAdam Railway Station. It is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend, tour the historic station and learn more about these two amazing women with so much in common.
“I am so excited to be able to present this book to the world,” O’Keefe said. “It’s been a labour of love for me for the past four years and I hope the many fans of Abigail Massey, of the historic McAdam Railway Station and Hotel, find my novel to be an exciting, emotional, satisfying finale for the whole Abigail Massey series.”
