Bobbie Jean Huff joins fellow author Amy Jo Burns in conversation about her debut novel, "The Ones We Keep."

From the publisher: An emotional debut for fans of Elizabeth Strout and Diane Chamberlain, "The Ones We Keep" follows the splintered lives of four family members in the years following an unthinkable tragedy, and the choices they must make to find their way back to each other.

One family. One tragedy. One incredible decision to change their fate. A quiet lakeside resort in Vermont seems like the perfect summer getaway for Olivia and Harry Somerville and their three young boys. But in a single moment, their idyllic family retreat becomes a mother's worst nightmare. Returning from a solo hike one afternoon, Olivia learns from a passing stranger that one of her sons has drowned — but not which one. In that moment, Olivia makes a panicked decision that will change her family forever. If she never knows which son has drowned, can Olivia convince herself that none of them have? By shielding herself from reality, can she continue to live in a world where all three boys are still alive?

Bobbie Jean Huff studied music in the United States and France, but it wasn’t until she moved to Canada that she began writing. A recipient of grants from the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council, and first prize winner of a cross-Canada short fiction competition, Huff has written for various publications, including The Globe and Mail, Quarry, Event, Queen’s Quarterly, Room of One’s Own, Queen’s Alumni Review, Anthos, and the New Ohio Review.

Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir "Cinderland" and the novel "Shiner," which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, an NPR Best Book of the year, and “told in language as incandescent as smoldering coal,” according to The New York Times. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, Tin House, Elle, Good Housekeeping, Ploughshares, Electric Literature, Literary Hub, and the anthology Not That Bad.

Bobbie Jean Huff with Amy Jo Burns