Heartwood tells the harrowing story of Valerie Gillis, a hiker lost along the Appalachian Trail. This multiple POV work is told through the viewpoints of the state game warden leading the search, a fellow hiker who walked with her much of the way before leaving the trail early, an elderly woman fixated on the internet, and through Valerie herself in letters to her mother. At first, this novel may appear as a mystery or a thriller, each person revealing tiny pieces of the larger puzzle to let the reader in on what occurred. But it is so much more than that. This work is a striking commentary on our times.
Without revealing anything I shouldn't (because you really should read this book!), I just want to say that Gaige's writing expertly explores the political climate of our time. The human relationships span the most basic of the parent-child bond to the complexity of online relationships, a reality our species has yet to fully contend with. Her characters are surprising - like the overweight hiker who tackles the trail anyway, or the elderly woman who makes online friends easier than she can with those in her retirement community - but Gaige's expertise in developing the characters makes every surprise authentic and believable. I will remember each of these characters for a long time to come.
In addition, this novel is set post-pandemic and doesn't shy away from exploring how that period of time deepened divisions and broke so many along the way. Valerie is a nurse that endured the worst of the pandemic from her position in the health care system, and she sets out on the Appalachian Trail in search of her own peace and happiness. As the other characters are folded into Valerie's story, their own resilience and cracks come into view.
While the pandemic is still so vividly remembered and mourned by the world, it's taken some time to enter literature. However, recently released works of fiction are beginning to explore this narrative more and more. Sometimes this works well, and sometimes the inclusion of that time feels re-traumatizing and something I want to push away from. However, I'm noticing that when I feel fed by a book that includes the pandemic, it is a work that explores or makes commentary on the social elements of our collective experience. For me, this exploration is a way to heal and process what we all went through, as well as the aftermath that is still occurring.
And Heartwood does this beautifully.
If you like a good mystery with a side of social commentary, I highly recommend this novel!