D.G. Curwin
Author of The Bonding — a coming-of-age novel set in 1978 New Brunswick
The Bonding
Set against the long winter of 1978 New Brunswick, The Bonding follows sixteen-year-old Dylan Pierce, a boy growing up in a fading mill town where the streets, the neighbours, and even the language carry the weight of history. Dylan harbours an impossible secret: he hears the thoughts of everyone around him, a burden that makes solitude precious and connection perilous. His closest friends — steadfast Trev and fiercely bilingual Maddy — are the lifeline that keeps him steady. But everything shifts the day he meets Lucas Matthews, a gentle, overlooked classmate whose presence brings Dylan a rare and startling sense of quiet.
As Millhaven grapples with economic decline, political pressure, and the threat of losing what little remains of its identity, Dylan and his friends find themselves pulled into the heart of the town’s struggle. What begins as an effort to protect Lucas from false accusations turns into a deeper confrontation with legacy, loyalty, and a hidden heritage Dylan never asked to inherit. Through friendship, language, and the stubborn resilience of a small Atlantic community, Dylan must navigate the space between the ordinary world around him and the extraordinary one within him.
About the Author
D.G. Curwin is a gay Canadian author whose work explores empathy, identity, and the quiet intersections between the ordinary and the extraordinary. A native of Moncton, New Brunswick, he draws inspiration from the rhythms of small-town life and the emotional undercurrents that shape adolescence.
Curwin is also a storyteller and performer, best known for his immersive Seance.mx recreations that blend history, theatre, and the paranormal. He now lives in Mazatlán, Mexico, with his husband of forty-three years.
He is currently seeking literary representation for his debut young adult novel, The Bonding (74,000 words, complete).
Meet the Characters
Dylan
“Most people don’t know what’s in their heads until they say it. I hear it before they do.”
Sixteen-year-old Dylan Pierce is the quiet observer of a fading mill town, guarding a secret that forces him to choose who, and how, to be.
Trevor
“I’m not the hero. I’m the one who keeps the hero from doing something dumb.”
Trevor Lance is steady, loyal, and quick-witted. He’s the kind of friend who never asks for credit but always shows up when it counts.
Lucas
“I spent years learning how to be small. It doesn’t fit anymore.”
Lucas Matthews is learning to trust his own strength and voice; proof that quiet courage can change everything.
Maddy
“I don’t do polite lies. Ask the question. I’ll give you the truth.”
Maddy LeBlanc is sharp, fearless, and protective. She calls things as she sees them and keeps the group grounded when emotions run high.
These aren’t official portraits, just how I happen to see them when I picture 1978 New Brunswick and the friends who live there. The images were created with AI-based tools to capture mood and era rather than exact likenesses. I hope readers will imagine them in their own way.
Acknowledgements
My heartfelt thanks to Bert Richard of Dieppe, New Brunswick, for providing the Chiac translations used in this novel. Finding someone willing to help ensure the language rang true was no easy task, and I’m deeply grateful for his patience and generosity. Having grown up in Moncton, I wanted the dialogue to sound the way it’s actually spoken, the fluid blend of languages that carries the humour, resilience, and heart of the region. Chiac is a spoken language, not a standardized written one; what appears in the novel is only a reflection of its living voice.
I also wish to thank Carla Di Domenicantonio, M.H.Sc., former Speech-Language Pathologist, and the Canadian Stuttering Association for their insight and encouragement in helping ensure that Lucas’s voice was portrayed with realism and respect. Their generosity in sharing their expertise helped me portray not a condition, but a person—a young man whose stutter is only one part of who he is.
Comments from Early Readers
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