By Ron Rash
Ecco,
2012. 255 pgs. Fiction
Laurel Shelton
has spent her entire life in a secluded cove deep in the Appalachians of North
Carolina. Her family has a history of bad
luck that ostracizes them from neighboring families, and an unfortunate
birthmark makes her especially suspect.
Her only surviving relative, her brother Hank, seems to have escaped the
family curse, partially due to losing an arm while fighting in the still bloody
battlefields of World War I. Then enters a mute stranger who may save Laurel
from the solitary life she believes she is fated to live.
The ugliness
of deep prejudice is a major theme in this beautifully written novel. Laurel’s life includes so little kindness
that readers can’t help but desperately want her to find love, acceptance, and
if at all possible, escape from the life she was born to. The home front of World War I provides a
fascinating backdrop and historical details that many people may not be aware
of. ‘The Cove’ is heartbreaking but
somehow still hopeful and a pure delight to read.
CZ
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