Judy H. (Judyh) - , reviewed on 6/6/2024 + 229 more book reviews

This is a truly gorgeous book. I received a free ARC from the publisher. The story is told in the first person by Rainy, a part-time musician in a very near future America where the rule of law and the government have been breaking down and no longer fully function. Rainy and his wife Lark live a simple life in a small town on the coast of Lake Superior. Lake Superior is practically a full-blown character in the story. Lark loves books with a passion and runs the local bookstore even while physical books are harder to come by and less popular. Lark and Rainy are deeply in love, and this is so beautifully rendered by the author. They have an attic in their home that they occasionally rent out. They come under scrutiny for harboring a fugitive and some pretty awful things ensue. The rest of the story is a combination of being chased by the authorities (much of this across the magnificent and fearsome lake), being imprisoned, and finding reasons to go on anyway. It is a very beautiful story of love and loss and the details of survival, and good vs. evil. It's engrossing and compelling and kept me up reading late into the night. The characters are complex, flawed, and lovable (along with some not at all lovable). Saying that the prose is gorgeous is such an understatement. It is, after all, Leif Enger.

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