Occasionally a book comes along that makes me go right back to the beginning to skim it looking for themes and other bits and pieces I missed because I just wanted to read the story. Because the story itself was sooooo good. I also know that if these bits and pieces aren’t clear and don’t come together I feel cheated, like someone gave me a ticket to the big show and it turned out to be a geezers wannabe cover band. Well, if she mentions two of my favorite regional bands, ”Trampled by Turtles” as inspiration for Beaver Jean and “The Pines” as mood music she better pull it off! (Just an aside so noone gets the wrong idea…..the Turtles are from Duluth and they MAY wear red plaid felt and overalls as times, but they are NOT as scruffy as Beaver Jean. Although Dave Simonett could probably write a pretty wicked song about him!) Okay. She delivered. The ticket was good. Not front row, but still a good show. There’s quite a few characters but all were distinct and she brings nearly all their tales to fruition, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do this justice, but here goes. The book opens in 1863 when Angel and Clement, twins separated at birth, encounter each other on the St. Croix river and Clement has just freed a log jam. A murder is committed by Angel. Clement takes the blame. The book then flashes back to their birth in 1840. Their mother has fled Beaver Jean, a trapper and manhunter, and his two Indian wives and birthed the twins in an infirmary for orphans run by a nun and Big Waters, an aging Native American woman. Healthy Angel goes to a wealthy, manipulative woman who sickens Angel for selfish means. Clement, a sickly baby, is left in the orphanage and nursed to health and raised by Big Waters. The years pass, and though they grow up near each other, their communication is largely telepathic and only when Angel is near-death. Their real-life encounters don’t go well. A lot of history happens. Stillwater is chosen as the location of the state’s prison (it’s now a historical site you can tour---it’s pretty interesting.) And Clement, goes off to the Civil War with Davis, a part-black orphan raised by a town prostitute. There was perhaps a bit too much history crammed in, but I love books about Minnesota in this era. There’s a skein of dark, tough, warped Southern literature in this book (Minnesota has backwoods, too.) Amputating frostbit toes gone gangrenous, eye gouging to save someone’s life, etc. Feeding babies by dipping cloth in milk and letting them suck it dry. “Lydian wondered if at some time someone felt for her what she now felt for these babes, which was an odd urge to ladle them up and lick them. Doubtful that such a thought had ever crossed the mind of the ma who birthed her, her pa, or the stepmother who raised her and then sold her to Beaver Jean, Lydian did scoop up first the boy and then the girl and licked them both on the cheek. Neither seemed to mind. She lay them back on the bed.” “Then the door opened all the way, and Mrs. Hatterby emerged at the top of the stairs. Her eyes were red and watery, but Angel did not worry because she had often witnessed how her mother would poke her own eyes to make them look that way. Angel had even tried that trick on Nanny to get extra treats until Nanny figured it out and gave her a spanking.”But there’s also a community of caring in this book and these people of unskilled background do the best they can. Nannies, Mother St. John, Big Waters, Father Paul are good people. “Angel hiccupped on the way home. Her eyes hurt and felt swollen. Nanny walked with her arm around Angel’s shoulders. Sometimes she gave her a squeeze. Nanny didn’t ask questions but seemed to know what happened. She told Angel that boys sometimes were gruff with girls they liked, that they sometimes teased and insulted because they didn’t know how to compliment and cuddle. ‘When they get older, they act better,’ she assured Angel.“Wonderful writing. I hope this reaches paperback and they CHANGE THE COVER! The hardcover image of clouds and hill reflected in water does nothing to draw in the reader. There’s a theme of swans in this book. Use it. This has to be one of the more unique books I've read in a long time. In fact, it is one I find hard to find words to describe it. It is set during the Civil War period, but that doesn't play a huge part in her story. It is more about Angel and Clement and their lives and the people that touch them.The two are twins that are separated in infancy. Clement is left at the orphanage while a rich family in Stillwater, adopts Angel.Stillwater is a logging town in Minnesota and it is a story that details the hardships and losses of people settling in the area.It is about freedom and social issues and so much more than I can explain. The story is told from so many different perspectives that sometimes it feels confusing, but it always comes back to Clement and Angel and how they got to the place in life that they were in the 1860's and beyond.It isn't a happy book by any means. Frontier life was seldom happy and Nicole Helget really brings that front and center.Clement is the character you will love along with Big Waters and Mother St. John. His twin Angel, not so much, but their lives are entwined even though they were raised separately.Suffice to say, if you enjoy books that deal with this period of time and the struggles of the frontier, you will want to read this book.
What do You think about Stillwater (2014)?
Really enjoyed the story but felt the ending was a letdown. Would have given it 4 stars otherwise.
—Angel
I love reading local authors. This book was very good. Well written and entertaining.
—pelo
This was an enjoyable read, with interesting characters and a good story!
—Jack
