The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley

“A capriciously imagined historical epic that captures the essence of a century through the remarkable life of Kit McKinley. A skilled researcher, Wood deftly weaves genetic discovery and society’s fascination with eugenics into a highly unique, engrossing tale of love and family.”
—Cathy Marie Buchanan, New York Times bestselling author of The Painted Girls

“Shelley Wood offers a deeply heartfelt account of the McKinley family’s complex relationship with time and societal change. With an intriguing blend of scientific insight and emotional resonance, Wood’s novel is a poignant portrayal of kinship and the perennial search for meaning and belonging.”
—Ellen Keith, author of #1 international bestseller The Dutch Wife

“An astonishingly beautiful, wonderfully unique, completely seductive novel about a woman who ages one year for every four. It is also a sweeping and memorable portrait of the twentieth century: eugenics, genetics, World Wars, feminism, politics, world travel, and much more. Most of all, it is a novel about love and devotion—among families, friends, and lovers—against the backdrop of a persistent violence against people who are judged to be born different. I could not put this novel down.”
—Lawrence Hill, author of Someone Knows My Name

“The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley is a marvel. Spanning decades and continents, it shines new light on the essential bond of human empathy, exposing the burdens and immeasurable blessings of love. A fresh and unforgettable novel about what we can’t help but lose in this life—and what lives on.”
—Alissa York, author of Far Cry

Shelley Wood is a writer, journalist, and editor. Her work has appeared in The New Quarterly, Room, the Antigonish Review, Causeway Lit, and the Globe and Mail (UK). Born and raised in Vancouver, she has lived in Montreal, Cape Town, and the Middle East. She now has a home, a man, and a dog in British Columbia, Canada. Her 2019 novel, The Quintland Sisters, was a bestseller in Canada.

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