One unbearable mistake at the edge of the forest.
In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended-for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola's abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well-into grief, guilt, and addiction. Convinced she can only do more harm to her family; Ellis leaves her husband and young sons, burying her desperate ache for her children deeper with every step into the mountain wildernesses she treks alone.
In a remote area of Washington, a young girl named Raven keeps secrets inside, too. She must never speak to outsiders about how her mother makes miracles spring from the earth, or about her father, whose mysterious presence sometimes frightens her. Raven spends her days learning how to use her rare gifts-and more important, how to hide them. With each lesson comes a warning of what dangers lie in the world beyond her isolated haven. But despite her mother's cautions, Raven finds herself longing for something more.
As Ellis and Raven each confront their powerful longings, their journeys will converge in unexpected and hopeful ways, pulled together by the forces of nature, love, and family.
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The first words Ellis wrote to the woods were Please come back. PROLOGUE
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(Lake Union Publishing, 1 April 2021, ebook, 455 pages, bought from @AmazonKindle, #AmazonFirstReads)
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I didn't think I was going to like the book at first. I really struggled to like Ellis. Her decision to walk out on her husband and sons after losing her daughter didn't sit well with me. I understood her reasons and motivations, but I really couldn't get behind her. I kept wanting to put the book down then something kept pulling me back into the story. It took a good few chapters, but I finally started to emphasise with Ellis and change my perception of her. I liked the fact the book is split into sections, one section which focuses on Ellis and the next section what happens to Viola and so on and do forth then the final section brings them both together. I enjoyed the unpredictability of the book and how Viola / Raven's life is nothing like I expected when she's taken from the woods, her upbringing is not normal but not what I'd expect from a child raised by her kidnapper. I just kept getting pulled deeper and deeper into the story and fell in love with the book.
