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THE LIGHT THROUGH THE LEAVES by GLENDY VANDERAH

April 1, 2021

 

About the Book:

 

One unbearable mistake at the edge of the forest.

In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended—for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola’s abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well—into grief, guilt, and addiction. Convinced she can only do more harm to her family, Ellis leaves her husband and young sons, burying her desperate ache for her children deeper with every step into the mountain wildernesses she treks alone.

In a remote area of Washington, a young girl named Raven keeps secrets inside, too. She must never speak to outsiders about how her mother makes miracles spring from the earth, or about her father, whose mysterious presence sometimes frightens her. Raven spends her days learning how to use her rare gifts—and more important, how to hide them. With each lesson comes a warning of what dangers lie in the world beyond her isolated haven. But despite her mother’s cautions, Raven finds herself longing for something more.

As Ellis and Raven each confront their powerful longings, their journeys will converge in unexpected and hopeful ways, pulled together by the forces of nature, love, and family.

 

My Review:

 

“Who could know their future with a person they cared about? And even if they did somehow find out something bad was going to happen with that person, would they give up on them? Let them suffer alone? Love couldn’t be removed like a thorn from a thumb.”

What a stunning story! Beautifully written and emotionally charged, ‘The Light Through the Leaves’ is a luminous book about loss, love and forgiveness. This character-driven story lived up to all my expectations from this amazingly talented author.

Ellis and Raven’s story is both heartbreaking and incredibly uplifting. The author’s keen eye for the natural world shines though on every page and infuses the story with an appreciation for the natural beauty all around us. While not a light book by any means, the ending is wonderfully satisfying, even though I felt it was just a tiny bit rushed.

Ellis suffers an unimaginable loss early in the book which leads her to turn to drugs and alcohol to try and ease her pain. She was trained as a botanist and always felt a strong pull towards nature, camping and wilderness life. Her loss furthers sharpens her edges, and leads her to turn inwards.

“Trees can do this amazing thing called Compartmentalization of Decay. When they get an injury, the cells around the wound change and put up a wall that contains the process of decay. Around that wall, a different kind of change in the cells forms another wall. Then a third wall. And a fourth.”

The book is told from both Ellis and Raven’s points of view. While Ellis is running from her trauma and her family, Raven is growing up the daughter of a reclusive, paranoid mother in Washington State. She is a brilliant child but her mother has filled her with lies and half-truths to keep her from outsiders. Eventually Raven begins to attend regular school and form deep bonds with her close circle of friends.

Eventually the paths of Ellis and Raven abruptly cross. I could not put this book down! The writing reminds me in a way of early Colleen Hoover in its coming of age themes. And in my opinion it definitely fits into a romance genre even though the characters do experience unimaginable grief and loss.

“I didn’t discard you. You’ve always been there, at the core of me. But enclosed in a way that let me survive the pain.”

The descriptions of plants and wildlife and the beautiful American landscape, particularly of North Florida, resonated with me. This book is almost mystical in its reverence for the natural world. From the gorgeous cover to the unforgettable characters, this book will stay with me for a long, long time.

“I want you to know I love you forever and ever. You know that, right? No matter where I am or where you are, I love you.”

Categories : 4.5 Stars, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Mystery, Reviews, Suspense, Women's Fiction Tagged : Glendy Vanderah, The Light Through the Leaves

Book Review: WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE STARS by GLENDY VANDERAH

April 20, 2019

 

 

About the Book:

 

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay – just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?

Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

 

My Review:

 

What an absolutely sensational debut novel! I haven’t read anything quite like this in years. Moving, emotional and yet deeply human and funny, this is a book that will stay with me for a long, long time.

A mysterious little girl appears seemingly out of nowhere on the doorstep of Jo, a graduate student completing her research on birds’ nests. The little girl calls herself Ursa and insists she is from a faraway galaxy, sent to Earth in the body of a child to learn about the human race and our planet. Ursa never wavers from her story and does act much older that her age.

“I have to stay on Earth until I’ve seen five miracles. It’s part of our training when we get to a certain age—kind of like school.”

This is not a fantasy or book that employs magic. The story is a wonderful tale of love, broken families and forgiveness. Soon Jo must turn to her odd neighbor Gabe, also known as the Egg Man, for help with Ursa. Jo is ill-equipped to care for a young child but the authorities don’t seem interested in taking a missing person report on Ursa.

Jo and Gabe quickly realize that the three of them make an odd group and that their taking care of a young child might seem odd to an outsider. But their little unit works well and they are absolutely enchanted by Ursa. She is very smart, funny and very, very inquisitive. Jo’s friends and colleagues warn her that having Ursa living in her rented cabin for the summer might raise a few eyebrows.

“How does that Gabe guy figure in?”

“She likes to hang out at his farm.”

“He’s okay with that?”

“It’s a village-raises-the-kid kind of thing.”

Gabe is funny and ruggedly handsome and very kind and soon Jo is falling for him. But Gabe has what might be THE most dysfunctional family and he can’t seem to break free from their emotional blackmail.I could not stop reading and could not get these characters out of my head while I was reading! Gabe, Jo and Ursa are some of the most memorable and unusual fictional characters I have ever read about. It is hard to believe that this is the debut book for this author. The story is absolutely riveting and the prose is perfect!

“As always, words fail when you most want to say the right thing.”

“People think they have to say something, and it never makes me feel better.”

“I know. I’ve decided language isn’t as advanced as we think it is. We’re still apes trying to express our thoughts with grunts while most of what we want to communicate stays locked in our brains.”

Watching Gabe and Jo’s relationship slowly unfold was breathtaking. These two damaged souls deserved love and I simply could not stop reading! There was nothing formulaic about this book and every scene seemed fresh and new.

“Savoring his first relationship, Gabe started to live as Ursa did, in an infinite present disconnected from the past or future.”

There is an element of suspense to this fabulous story and I honestly was thrilled and surprised at every turn. I highlighted so much of this book that I can’t possibly share all of the fabulous passages. Glendy Vanderah is an author to watch and I cannot wait to see what she does next! Add this book to your must-read list, it is a gorgeous and beautifully written story!

“Is this too much crush on your soul?” she asked.“

“It’s the perfect amount of soul crushing,” he said.

Categories : 5 Stars, Family Drama, Fiction, Mystery, Reviews, Suspense, Women's Fiction Tagged : Glendy Vanderah, Where the Forest Meets the Stars

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