There are several events that happen
in this novel that also describe life during the Great Depression and the types
of trials that individuals living through such a difficult economic time experienced.
Two distinct threads as well as numerous smaller ones run through out the book.
Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband Warren
are eking out a living in rural North Carolina. The death of her husband under
suspicious circumstances and the thread of a neighbor cause her to leave. At
the same time, the other main thread character, Delwood Reese, has an out-of-body
experience during what would be a near farming disaster that could have cost
him his life.
These two threads weave together in a
Georgia turpentine camp deep in the pine thickets of the rural part of the
state. Other minor threads and
characters pop in and out as they interact with the two primary protagonists. Some
interactions good and some very bad almost causing death.
Life during these times was most definitely
hard and learning things about people which were not acceptable during the
current social milieu doesn’t make it easier.
Friendships grow and wane and love even finds a way to bloom.
So, from the first over-stereotypical
introduction to a personal reality check from someone who had grown up in rural
South, although not during the Depression, it struck a chord of reality. From farmers with no real money but with
plenty to eat from their efforts with gardens and farm stock to the slash pine
work along the coastal areas, there is much reality here and it gives the reader
the visceral reality of having been there. It was a hard time but things like friendship,
love, family, and making do was what happened and probably still do in this
area as well as many others. There was a
certain resilience in not just the main characters but also there was prejudice
and hate on display.
The book has a section of questions
that will guide discussion at a book club gathering. A great job and a most
enjoyable read.
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