Source: DRC via NetGalley (Random House Publishing Group – Random House, One World) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

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Why did I choose to read this book?

I have a soft spot in my heart for survival stories, and if there is an element of historical fiction thrown in there, well, I’m probably going to check out your book. 🙂 And if your story is about badass women too? GIMME

What is this book about?

A black woman has moved to Montana to stake her claim on land that is available after running away from her parents’ farm, which she has lit on fire on her way out (her parents’ dead bodies left inside the farmhouse!). All she carries is a travel bag and a giant trunk that contains an unknown that she is guarding with her life. Once she arrives at her claim she makes friends with the other women who are doing the same thing and makes friends, which becomes very important once the unknown from her trunk escapes and wreaks havoc.

More generally this book is about how, when you are alone you are never really alone. If you look around you, there will be others like you that you can join together with to become stronger. On the negative side, this book reminds us that we can never really escape our past – we can either die of shame or we can face it and become better people. It’s mostly about found family and you all know I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories too.

What is notable about this story?

I’m gonna do this one as a list.

1. Don’t trust rich people.
2. Don’t trust men.
3. Ask for help when you need it so people have the option to support you.
4. Accept and protect trans people
5. Accept and protect LGBTQIA+ people
6. Support friends when they are dealing with their shit
7. Gentrification fucking sucks (even in the early 1900s in rural Montana!)
8. Fuck around and find out (see also: be a ride or die bitch for your weird friend group)
9. If you search, if you listen, if you don’t give up, you will find home. You will find happiness.
10. Just because someone is a woman, it doesn’t automatically mean they are safe (see #1).

Just a very valuable story about learning who to trust and creating/protecting your found family.

Additionally this one is a very quick read. It has a wonderful level of tension that keeps you moving, but it lets you rest too, the calms between the storm.

Was anything not so great?

This book was truly a delight to read. I love a book that tricks me into following social norms and then makes me feel like a gullible asshole for falling into a false sense of security. I don’t have any critiques of this one – I zoomed through it and I wish there was more.

What’s the verdict?

5 stars on Goodreads. A well-written, important story about how we treat people on the fringes of “society” and why that is hurtful, wrong, and monstrous. As relevant today as it has ever been in this country (USA) that I call home. (Also side note: if you enjoy this one, check out The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah. It has a similar survival/historical fiction vibe.) Run, don’t walk, to your nearest library or bookseller on March 28th when it officially releases to get yourself a copy. You won’t be disappointed. Let me know in the comments what you thought after you’ve read it.