Treaty

A wry novella about an ordinary working-class man who, thinking he is getting a lucky break, finds himself in a legal morass which he cannot control. George Wilson is a partner in a Canadian gay marriage. His multi-national employer transfers him to a state in the US which refuses to recognize his marriage. His fledgling lawyer finds an obscure US - Canada treaty which she says trumps the state law, and sues. The situation devolves into legal machinations, political controversy, a diplomatic crisis, violence and death. Ultimately, he has to find his own solution because the legal system fails him. The 1981 treaty quoted in the book actually exists.