Books & Audiobooks
Loosely based on a true story, Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a tale of faith, courage, redemption and perseverance. Told from the perspectives of four people, the reader is brought into a story that is harrowing and tender at one and the same time.
Valerie Gillis, a nurse who survived the trauma of working through the pandemic, has set off to walk the entire Appalachian Trail in the hope of finding the healing and peace she so desperately needs. Significantly under-prepared, she gets disoriented and is reported missing after not showing up at her next scheduled checkpoint.
Lt. Bev Miller is the Forest Warden charged with organizing the search effort for Valerie. She is singularly focused in spite of a family emergency that requires her presence. As the days go on, she remains adamant that the search should continue in spite of dwindling hope that Valerie will be found alive.
Lena Kurcharski is a well-read, highly intelligent, 76-year-old woman living in a retirement community. She has put her knowledge of physical science to good use by foraging for varied edible plants in the woods that surround her residence. She communicates on a Reddit sub-group with a survivalist who is living off the grid in the woods near the Appalachian Trail.
And finally, Santo, the non-athletic young man who befriends Valerie on the trail and becomes her trusted companion. Sadly, Santo has to leave the trail early to attend to his dying father and is devastated when he learns that Valerie is missing. In his interviews with Warden Cody Ouellette, we learn more about Valerie and the reason why she is referred to as “Sparrow.”
This is a story that will grip you from the onset. The characters are fleshed out artfully and the reader is expertly pulled into the storylines of their lives. Fantastic book!