There are books that simply transport you to a place far, far away. And then there are books that hold you where you are. Crawl inside of you. Possess you. And etch their words on every inch of your existence.
As a person who loves nature and has hiked quite a bit, I was instantly drawn to Heartwood by Amity Gaige. It centers around the story of a missing forty-two-year-old hiker named Valerie Gillis. Valerie was hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) but went missing just a couple hundred miles from her destination.
The story is told from multiple points of view, including Valerie’s, the warden and her team who is leading the search, interviews with witnesses, and others who are connected to the case in some way. In books with this many points of view, it can, at times, become confusing to keep track of who you are hearing from. But that wasn’t the case here. Each viewpoint had a distinctive voice made even easier to follow by the impressive cast of narrators who brought this tremendous story to life in a way that I’m not even sure the author knew was possible.
While the book is technically considered a mystery/suspense, it is also a literary novel containing artfully crafted prose, especially when reading the passages from Valerie’s journals. Even some of the harder truths and moments she shares are dripping with beauty.
The descriptions of the search and from the journals and letters create an immersive experience for the reader, giving a bird’s-eye view of the area and how the story unfolded. There were times when I was listening that I closed my eyes and could feel the warmth of golden rays of sun reaching out to kiss my face through cracks in the foliage around me. I could hear the creek just down the path from where I stood. The birds singing in the trees. And the breeze rustling crisp leaves. I could also feel the pain from hunger. The loss of hope and the coinciding delusions that come from growing weaker and more tired and more frail. Gaige made sure you feel it all.
The pacing of the book was consistent. Almost as if the story was on cruise control. It wasn’t a fast-paced thriller, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a slow burn either. There was a steady pull of the story. The changing of perspective always left the reader eager to return to that character to see what happened next, and then the same with the next character. And so you keep turning the page. Listening to more. All the way until you find yourself at the end. It took me just a few days to listen to the whole book.
All the characters are well developed and provide varying arcs within their own story. They were unique. And while some authors may not have developed some of the characters’ side stories as much as Gaige did here, I didn’t feel that it detracted from the main story. Quite the opposite. I felt they added even more depth and heart to the story.
The ending was masterful and satisfying. And a little sad that it was all over. This was my first read by Gaige and absolutely will not be my last.
If you like books that defy any one genre classification. Books that bring the outside into your soul. And characters that, like all of us, are trying to keep from being forever lost. This is the book for you.
Until next time,
Lisa
P.S. There are passages in the book from a character whose hiking name is Santos. At one point he talks about the rocky terrain when passing through “Painsylvania.” I laughed and instantly remembered the hike my husband and I did on the River of Rocks trail on Hawk Mountain in PA. As you can see from the photo below, it’s true. Pennsylvania has A LOT of rocks! Every inch of the trail looked exactly like this. It was fun at first, but after a few miles, everyone on the trail was looking forward to reaching solid ground again. So this photo is for you, Santos.
Because I believe that a TBR pile can never be too big, feel free to share some of your favorite reads with me here or on social media. You can find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and StoryGraph (lisareadsbytrees).
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