Every human being imagines, but few disclose. Children are quick to share their strangest thoughts and inventions. They cease to do so only after the shaming or baffled reactions of adults, portraits of which the child hangs on her inner walls, until at last, she closes the gallery.
Summary - Heartwood tells the story of a nurse, Valerie Gillis, who goes missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine. The novel intertwines the narratives of Valerie, who writes letters to her mother during her ordeal; Beverly, a game warden leading the search; and Lena Kucharski, a 76-year-old birdwatcher who becomes an armchair detective. As the search intensifies, the characters’ complex relationships with mothers and motherhood are explored, revealing a suspenseful mystery with themes of survival, loss, and self-discovery.
I read (mainly listened) to this in a day. I think I preferred the audio as there were multiple narrators, truly making this intense story come alive!
Have you read this? I enjoy mixing in books like this, I need morer like it!
Find Heartwood at the publisher →
Toni Rocchetti is a copy editor helping authors strengthen their narratives, deepen character arcs, and find the story that is already in the draft. She reads 80+ books a year across literary fiction, memoir, and nonfiction — and writes about what she is learning along the way. Work with Toni →
