After reading Robert Morgan's Gap Creek, I went on a hunt of other works of literature that had similar characters who are realistic, hard, and genuine. Yet, it was not until I stumbled upon this novel that I found Morgan's match. Gail Anderson-Dargatz is a beautiful writer who knows how to balance plot and character. What emerges is a fantastic story about love, hardship, redemption, family, and the power of one's own character.When Kat returns to her hometown of Turtle Valley, it is under the duress of impending fire. Yet it is clear that the fire is not the greatest hurdle Kat will have to combat. Upon her return, she is faced with her unresolved feelings towards her ex-lover. Accompanying her on this return to Turtle Valley is her invalid husband and overly emotional son. To add to her stress, she must pack up her parents' house and move them to another location while the fire rages. Additionally, her mother is suffering from memory loss and her father is on his death bed. Kat must deal with her past and present while the fire rages and threatens her future.While Kat is contemplating the choices available to her, she stumbles upon her grandmother's papers. In these papers, Kat finds that her grandmother once battled with the same internal demons as she is. This second storyline can be confusing at times and I found myself wishing to go back to Kat's plot, however, it all came together beautifully. Clearly this book is character driven, so if you are not interested in personal growth and development then this novel may not be for you. However, if you like psychological books that challenge your emotions then this is right up your alley! It is a strong novel written by a strong author about strong characters meant for a strong reader.www.iamliteraryaddicted.blogspot.com
Katrine is a 40 something woman who is the sole caregiver for her post-stroke husband and her young son. They head back to her parents home to help them prepare for a forest-fire evacuation and find that her mentally-ill mother is unable to run a household, due to her compulsion to document every detail of the day in written diaries. Her father is able enough until, 3 days later, his battle with cancer turns. As Katrine rummages through a house full of boxes, hidden memories and well-kept secrets, she finds parallels between her life and that of her grandmother and toys with leaving everything in order to be with her former lover.As a fan of Recipe For Bees, I was sure that I would love another Anderson-Dargatz novel, but I found little pleasure in this one. To me, it was a commentary on the result of poor health care options for families of the mentally-ill. Canadian families have few services available to them and have to carry the weight of a mentally-ill family member with little or no support or relief. Katrine is drowning in the responsibilities of caring for her child-like husband, her unstable mother and her father on his death-bed.
What do You think about Turtle Valley (2008)?
Turtle Valley is set just outside Salmon Arm during the August 1998 wildfire. Some of the hyper-local place names are fictional (Turtle Valley, Promise), but the general geography is authentic. The fire was to the west of Salmon Arm and this is where protagonist Kat’s parents live. She has returned home (accompanied by her husband, Ezra, and son) to help her parents move the possessions they want to keep safe from the fire to her sister Val’s garage (in Canoe, east of SA). They do this at what feels like a rather leisurely pace, intermingled with reminiscences, reconnections, and revelations. [more]
—Theryn Fleming
Gail Anderson-Dargatz uses rich and beautiful imagery to describe Salmon Arm, British Columbia and that kept me reading. However, I have a problem with a story that is packed with all these truly terrible things, because it makes it overly dramatic and almost like bad fiction. It hurt me to read about the incidents of animal abuse, and they seemed almost gratuitous in their number, but that is a personal issue of mine.Despite my misgivings, I will read more of her stuff. Her style is just too good to be put off by horrific events. You can tell she deeply loves the beauty of the wilds, and she's very good at sharing that love with her readers.
—Erica
This is the 2nd book I've read by Gail Anderson-Dargetz. Another great Canadian author. Her writing gives the reader a vivid and descriptive image of her characters and the landscape. This story takes place in British Columbia during a raging forest fire. Kat, the main character is helping her parents pack up belongings to save from the fire that is rapidly moving in their direction. Kat's husband has recently suffered a debilitating stroke, which has put a strain on their marriage. Just across the yard lives the man that Kat once loved just before she married her husband.
—Julia
