Love in the Land of the Caribou — Genevieve Montcombroux

Love in the Land of the Caribou is set in northern Manitoba, Canada. Mattie Spencer, is the lead biologist heading a vital Woodland Caribou conservation project for the university. As a Cree First Nation's woman, she struggles to maintain her position in what many consider a man's world. When her colleagues are sidelined by an accident, she goes ahead alone into the northern boreal forest to do an essential survey of the caribou. She is conflicted by her love for science and the environment, the traditions of her First Nations' culture and her work in the city. Glenn Weaver is a helicopter pilot and CEO of his own aviation company. He takes Mattie into the land of the muskeg and black spruce where the caribou live. He also directs, with the aid of a manager, the hunting and fishing lodge that legally still belongs to his father. A father that has happily retired south of the border. Glenn has traditional values and his views and opinions are those of the majority of people at the start of the novel. His father's views however are set-in-stone racists.Although not part of his duty as a pilot, Glenn refuses to leave Mattie alone to do her work on the Caribou survey in a remote boreal forest area. They are brought closer after being forced to shelter during a snow storm. They become friends as Mattie, despite her growing feelings, doesn't see how their two cultures could merge.Dramatic events, including a bear attack, throw them together just as Mattie was trying to keep away from him. They have to flee into the wilderness to escape from unexpected danger. Mattie and Glenn belong to differing cultures that often clash. Can they live with a foot in each world and still forge a lasting happiness?