A Scarcity of Virgins

Co-winner of the Association of Italian -Canadian Writers-Bressani Fiction AwardA Women's Fiction Writers Association BOOKTRIB CHOICERita McEachern is a hyphenated Canadian from a strict Sicilian background, living in Toronto in 1986. Although she grew up in the free-love, flowers in the hair era of the 60s and 70s, it has not touched her. Eighteen years of being the stay-at-home wife and mother that her husband, Victor, expected her to be, has turned her into a borderline agoraphobic, fearful of venturing more than a few blocks from her home. If hers is a loveless and passionless marriage, she is not aware of itAn unexpected confrontation with Valentin, a ruggedly handsome Spanish immigrant, sends her life spinning in a totally different direction. Although twelve years younger than Rita, Valentin is intrigued by her innocence and naïveté. Unable to resist his enthusiastic overtures, Rita falls passionately in love with him, jeopardizing her marriage and the well-being of her children.A Scarcity of Virgins is a feminist period piece that explores with psychological depth the full emotional palette of a woman caught between worlds, and the complexity of the human mind caught between obsession and delusion. Within a life of drudgery, Rita discovers passion beyond her wildest dreams. More addictive than any narcotic, she must find a way to extricate herself from its hold before it destroys both her and her family.