HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige

5 stars

Each page of this literary thriller has you literally on the edge of your seat with worry as a lovely and beloved nurse, Valerie, suddenly vanishes in a remote, thick woods Maine stretch of the Appalachian trail. Valerie spent the night before the night before at a trail lodge before failing to show up at the end of the next day at a meet point with her husband, Gregory Bouras. George has been driving the trail alongside Valerie as support for the past three months and knows Valerie can be a slow hiker who often gets waylaid, so he waits a day before alerting the authorities.

In steps the beyond competent Lt. Beverly Miller who has dedicated her life to the Maine Warden Service. And the search is on. The tense narration points of view anchored by Lt. Miller’s orchestrating an increasing huge effort to find Valerie, led by wardens and staffed by hundreds of citizen volunteers, law enforcement, and K-9 teams. Then there’s a recording of interview transcripts with various hikers Valerie has met and bonded with on the trail and her family members, along with hot line tips. We also read diary entrees by Valerie as she fights for her survival and slowly begins to reveal what threat she encountered on the trail. Lastly, there’s misanthropic, elderly Lena Kuccharski living in an independent living complex and having engaged in in-depth Reddit conversations with a Maine nature forager that may ultimately hold clues as to what happened to Valerie.

Lt. Miller captures the dedication of what it takes to be a Maine Warden, in all the complexities of this role, including her having lead many successful searches for lost Appalachian trail hikers. We also follow along in depth as she fights her way to her leadership position as the first female in the role, having to contend with sexism at every step long the way. Her vulnerability comes clear, as the search drags on with the odds of a successful find of Valerie diminishing with each day that goes by.

The book explores the complexities and experiences of “thru-hikers” on the Appalachian trail, and how they must tackle physical and emotional hardships. You feel drawn into the multitude of stories and insights of what undertaking such a long and ultimately lonely hike involves.

An amazing read that really stays with you!!

Also, if you haven’t read Gaige’s book the Sea Wife, I can’t recommend that highly enough!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.