So far, the BEST book I've read all summer.
If you are a nature lover, like to hike, love the mountains, love the state of Maine or all of these, get yourself a copy of this book at your local library and READ it. WOW.
Now I"m going to look for this author's other novels. Apparently this one is her latest and it was a real page turner and very gripping with all kinds of good themes. The author says at the back of the book that although this is fiction, she got the idea from a real life lost hiker in Maine. I won't say how either story ends.
STORY SUMMARY
Valerie Gillis is married, a nurse, and 42 years old. She began hiking the Appalachian Trail from Harpers Ferry, PA and has made it to Maine. In fact, she isn't that far from her destination, the summit of Katahdin. But....
before getting to Katahdin, she vanishes. She was only 200 miles from the destination! She's alone in the wilderness, so she pours out her thoughts and feelings into a journal that reads like pieces of poetry, to her mother. She does this while dealing with trying to keep hope alive and battling the elements of nature.
The center of the investigation is led by Beverly, a lieutenant with the Game Warden Service. She has a good team of search and rescue volunteers as well as paid game wardens and state police.
Meanwhile, Lena, a 76 year old woman in a wheelchair who lives in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an armchair detective. She befriends a young man online through a love of nature and foraging and begins to learn clues as to Valerie's disappearance.
Was Valerie's disappearance an accident or purposeful??
MY THOUGHTS
Oh my. This truly is one of the best "lost hiker" stories I've ever read and I've read quite a few.
What attracted me to the book was the fact that it involves hiking on the AT and I have hiked part of the AT in NY, MA, and Vermont. I was drawn to it because of hiking.
The book is beautifully written with very well developed characters and the description of the Maine woods is just breathtakingly beautiful.
There's a pull to this story and there's an ongoing frantic feeling as you read it. I loved that.
The story isn't just about the survival and search of a hiker along the AT, but also about the relationship between mothers and daughters as well as the solace of nature.
It's a riveting story that makes you want to keep turning the page.
Some of the themes in this story:
- The mother-daughter bond
- survival
- conspiracy theories
- the search for identity
- the pull of nature and how it plays into our human experiences
- the physical challenges of hiking the AT
- the mental challenges of hiking the AT
- isolation
- loss
- connection
- mental illness
"But the nonbeliever is in a bind, because without God, who forgives? Human beings are pretty unforgiving. The law certainly isn't forgiving. Forgiveness needs a messenger. " (pg 205 Heartwood by Amity Gaige c. 2025)
I would love to tell you the ending of this story but that would totally ruin if for you!
I will tell you that we hear the story in a few different voice. Each chapter is a different voice: Valerie's, Lena's Bev's and Santo (Valerie's friend on the AT who had to turn back as he just couldn't make it).
This book is also well edited and there are no major curse words other than maybe once or twice nor are there s*x scenes of any kind.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
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