The Rending and the Nest

by Kaethe Schwehn

  Thank you to Supergroup (Kate Schultz, Jana Hiller, Sarah Hanley, Sean Beggs, Coralee Grebe, Kristi Belcamino, and Brian Rubin). What would I do without you guys?

  Thanks to those who filled in my knowledge gaps: Emily Carroll, Dan Hernandez, Martha Schwehn, Jennifer Wolcott, and a huge number of friends on Facebook.

  Thanks to Pastor Charlie Ruud for chats about law and gospel.

  Thanks to the Loft Literary Center and to the members of the “Double-Take” class (slutty bears, all) and especially to Heather Herrman for her keen eye and gracious support.

  Thanks to the folks at Brick Oven Bakery and especially Jenna Huberg, who provides dollops of beauty and caffeine on a daily basis.

  Thanks to my colleagues at St. Olaf College and to my students, who ask the very best questions.

  Thanks to Jessica Peterson White and Tripp Ryder and all of the literati at Content Bookstore who offer our little town an abundance of good words.

  Thanks to my mom, Ricki Thompson, who has supported my imaginative life in millions of practical and emotional ways for decades now.

  But most especially, thank you to Thisbe and Matteus, who always return me to this world, and to Peder, who read countless drafts of this novel and whose support was truly unending. Thank you for believing when I couldn’t; thank you for always seeing a way forward.

  A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

  Kaethe Schwehn’s first book, Tailings: A Memoir, won the 2015 Minnesota Book Award for Creative Nonfiction and her chapbook of poems, Tanka & Me, was selected for the Mineral Point Chapbook Series. In addition to holding MFAs from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the University of Montana, Kaethe has been the recipient of an Academy of American Poets prize, a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant, and a Loft Mentor Series Award. She teaches at St. Olaf College and lives in Northfield, Minnesota.

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  First published 2018

  © Kaethe Schwehn, 2018

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

  No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author.

  ISBN: HB: 978-1-63286-972-2

  ePub: 978-1-63286-974-6

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

  Names: Schwehn, Kaethe, author.

  Title: The rending and the nest : a novel / Kaethe Schwehn.

  Description: New York : Bloomsbury, 2018.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017012311 | ISBN 9781632869722 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781632869746 (e-book)

  Classification: LCC PS3619.C4926 R46 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017012311

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