Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack

Dark secrets are revealed, love is found, and courage is restored.

On a hot June day in 1965, two six-year-old boys, Gareth and Jack, compete to see who can climb higher up a tree. When Jack falls and loses his eye on a thorn bush, the accident brings about a series of events that will bind the boys together for the rest of their lives.

When the best friends meet the albino twins Clara and Blanca, a shared fate unfolds. Trapped in a world of questionable beginnings, the twins must face horrific truths before they can claim their lives and leave their past behind them.

From the shores of Lake Ontario to the hustle of Berlin, from the art of oculary to punk opera, this is a story of dark secrets, suppressed desires, forgiveness, and love.

Heidi von Palleske is a writer, actor, and activist. She has written poetry, articles, and fiction, and won the H.R. Percy Novel Prize for her novel They Don’t Run Red Trains Anymore. Heidi spends time on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, but calls Toronto home.