Set against the backdrop of a Western Canadian potato farm, the story follows Malone as he manages both his isolation and his complicated history with the bird—a creature that once broke his ribs and left him with a black eye. McLean, who spent four decades in newsrooms ranging from the Toronto Telegram to London’s Sunday Express, began drafting the manuscript in his eighties. He rejects the label of a geriatric marvel, viewing the project as a continuation of his lifelong commitment to narrative craft.

Beyond the farm’s routines and the presence of colorful local characters, the narrative examines how unexpected connections provide a lifeline during periods of profound loss. McLean suggests that the act of storytelling serves as his primary tool for making sense of human experience. The book, published by Archway Publishing, is available in softcover, hardcover, and e-book formats through major retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.