Dear Fellow Reader,

Here we are in June. The summer seems full of endless possibilities, right? I keep putting schedules of outdoor concerts and events up on the bulletin board. In theory, I would love to attend lots of outdoor concerts and events. In reality, if it is hot and humid or it looks like massive crowds will be there, I lose interest fast. Quiet nights on the deck with my music gently playing sound good. I can, unfortunately, get lazy fast and then wonder what happened to the summer.

Oh…

I read Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours several years ago and enjoyed it. The story captured my interest and I enjoyed it. So, when I was offered an advance copy of Shelterwood, Lisa Wingate’s new book, I was happy to read it.

Shelterwood has two main characters who occupy different times. Olive Augusta Radley lived in Oklahoma in 1909. Valerie Boren-Odell lived in Oklahoma in 1990.

As the story starts, Ollie is running away from home with Nessa. Nessa and her older sister Hazel were living with Ollie, her mother, and her father. Ollie’s father has died and her mother and the girls are living with Tesco Peele. Ollie’s mother is strung out on booze and drugs most of the time and Ollie does not trust Tesco Peele. After Hazel disappears, Ollie decides that she needs to get Nessa and herself away from their new home. Her thought is that she and Nessa will go up in the hills to a cabin that her father had. Through the story, we follow their attempt to get away.

The other half of the story is about Valerie who is a single mother and has just arrived as a Ranger in the new Hoursethief Train National Park in Oklahoma’s Winding Stair Mountains. New to the area and job, she is not being given much respect as a woman Ranger. As the story opens she is out on the trail and meets Sydney, a young girl who has a lot to say and a Tribal Officer who knows Sydney and sends her back to her church group. The Tribal Officer then mentions something about bones being found – three little girl’s bones. When Valerie admits that she hasn’t heard, he shrugs and leaves. Sydney tells Valerie that her brother is missing and that Valerie should look for him. He is 17 and has red hair. Valerie can tell from the way the girl talks that there are some family issues going on but she wants to find out more about the bones that were found. Her boss does not assign her to find out and points her to some menial work. Before she knows it she is looking for Sydney’s brother and not finding anything that makes sense. It doesn’t help that when she talks to Sydney she needs to try and decide between the lies and the truth that come out of Sydney’s mouth.

The stories twist and turn separately and you wonder how it will come together. Both stories tell of the mistreatment of children and disregard of the law by prominent citizens. The story does come together at the end.

I did like this book but I will say it took me a while to read it. I did not find it to be a “real page turner”. I read several books while I was reading this book. But in its favor, I easily knew what was going on whenever I picked it up. The story stayed with me even when I read other books. I think that is a positive thing. I think you should put this on your TBR pile. I think you will enjoy it.

Thanks for reading!