First of all, what an aesthetically lovely cover for this book about the tensions and strangeness of a stepdaughter and now-dead stepmother.
The story follows Leah, a web editor and young mother, having to clear out her dead stepmother’s stuff back in the countryside. Yet, she discovers all sorts of oddities: sculptures made from industrial scrap, a young man who now lives in the house and had something to do with her stepmother’s art, and the realisation that much has changed since she headed off to enjoy the urban life.
Not only is the focus on family and emotional dynamics likely to make this a refreshing, touching read, but the mountainous West Virginia setting is also something you don’t often witness in works. Personally, I think that Upper-South-to-New-England region of the United States has stunning rural landscapes and pleasant countryside, so reading a book set out there is already alluring to me.
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