Book Review
Sep. 10th, 2025 03:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariHeartwood
by Amity Gaige
This book is part mystery, part thriller. The story is centered on Valerie Gillis, a nurse hiking the Appalachian Trail, who goes missing in the backwoods of Maine. The narrative rotates among Gillis, Lt. Bev, the game warden heading the search, and Lena Kucharski, an elderly woman in Connecticut who is following the case from her retirement home. Through their interwoven stories, we find out what happened to Valerie, how the search proceeds, and what connects Lena to the case.
I really enjoyed this book. Unlike most mysteries or thrillers, it doesn't have a lot of heart-pounding suspense. What it does have is a really elegant unfolding of the plot and an excellent exploration of how the search connects strangers to each other and to Valerie. The quietness of the book really lets those connections have weight and meaning, which made me feel very connected to the characters as well. Gaige's writing is lovely and her characters are very relatable.
by Amity Gaige
This book is part mystery, part thriller. The story is centered on Valerie Gillis, a nurse hiking the Appalachian Trail, who goes missing in the backwoods of Maine. The narrative rotates among Gillis, Lt. Bev, the game warden heading the search, and Lena Kucharski, an elderly woman in Connecticut who is following the case from her retirement home. Through their interwoven stories, we find out what happened to Valerie, how the search proceeds, and what connects Lena to the case.
I really enjoyed this book. Unlike most mysteries or thrillers, it doesn't have a lot of heart-pounding suspense. What it does have is a really elegant unfolding of the plot and an excellent exploration of how the search connects strangers to each other and to Valerie. The quietness of the book really lets those connections have weight and meaning, which made me feel very connected to the characters as well. Gaige's writing is lovely and her characters are very relatable.
