Who were the Fenians and what were they doing in Canada in 1866? In The Stone Orchard, writer and lawyer Susan Merritt tackles these historical questions through the story of 14-year-old Maud Fraser, who finds herself near the Battle of Lime Ridge during one of the Fenian raids.

Maud is battling her own demons, however. She feels responsible for her young brother’s death the previous year, and is hurt by her father’s emotional distance. She is also unhappy that she has to leave school to help support her family while her mother is having a difficult pregnancy.

A note of brightness enters Maud’s life when a kind vagrant woman visits and tells her fortune using tarot cards. Life gets exciting when soldiers march past Maud’s home and Maud tends wounded men from both armies. By the end of the story, the Fenians have returned to the United States, the true story of her brother’s death has absolved Maud of all guilt, and she has received unexpected financial help so she can continue her studies.

While the story is primarily Maud’s, readers get a basic understanding of the reason behind the Fenian raids: Irish Americans fighting for Ireland’s freedom from British rule tried to “liberate” Canada from British rule, not realizing that Canadians did not share Irish dreams or resentments. Readers also get a good look at the less-than-glamorous side of war. Indeed, death is almost a character in this story. Even the title (a stone orchard is a cemetery) reminds the reader of this central theme. The Fraser cemetery is a place where Maud suffers from and then is later released from her feelings of pain and misery, a release that allows her to begin to enjoy life again.

Susan Merritt, who also wrote Her Story and Her Story II (collections of short histories of Canadian women), has chosen to explore an interesting moment in Canadian history. The author lives in Ridgeway, Ontario, where the novel is set. Her portrayal of the naive untrained Canadian volunteers and the more seasoned Fenian (Irish Republican Army) soldiers gives readers a balanced picture of those involved and their political views. Maud is a likeable character with a kind heart who faces challenges head on. In addition, the supporting characters (especially the vagrant woman, Maud’s grandmother, and Juba, a former slave) are memorable, well drawn, strong, and believable.