Light to the Hills

 I've been a fan of Applachian literature for decades. When I saw that one of the Amazon Kindle First Reads for November was an Appalachian novel, I knew I wanted to read it.  The book's blurb on Amazon—"A richly rewarding novel about family bonds, the power of words, and the resilience of mothers and daughters in 1930s Appalachia"—caught my attention and reeled me in. So—that's how I happened to order Bonnie Blaylock's novel, Light to the Hills. I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed the book.

Light to the Hills is Appalachian fiction, as well as women's fiction, historial fiction, and a coming-of-age tale. It's beautifully written and well-crafted; Bonnie Blaylock has an MA in creative writing from the University of Tennessee. This novel won the 2021 Porch Prize in fiction, and you can read an excerpt in the Nashville Review.

Part of a review in the Historical Novel Society says, "This is a gorgeously written and well-layered novel that immediately transports us to the Appalachian Mountains of the 1930s. Bonnie Blaylock does a wonderful job of portraying the beauty of the “shifting blues and greens” of Appalachia and the proud determination of its people."  

Amanda Rye, 22-year-old widowed mother of a young son, supports herself and her child by working as packhorse librarian for the WPA. One rainy afternoon, as Amanda rides through the woods on her mule Junebug, she encounters young Sass—who's been hunting for ginseng—as a rattlesnake is coiled to strike Sass. Amanda pulls her pistol from her boot and kills the snake. Always eager to introduce another family to the books she carries, Amanda follows Sass home.

I loved the description of Sass MacInteer's home as Amanda first sees it : "Shaded by the hardwoods surrounding it, Sass’s house appeared in the distance, the tentative reach of its crooked split-rail fence marking the yard’s perimeter. Woodsmoke wisped from the stacked-stone chimney and hung in a blue fog just under the damp trees, smelling of welcome and warmth. The house was made of mostly hand-hewn logs and a simple plank porch that ringed the square dwelling like starched crinoline." 

Before long, Amanda is helping fix supper and sharing her books with the family. She leaves The Velveteen Rabbit, which she thinks the children will enjoy. When Amanda returns two weeks later, she  learns that none of them can read, although they've been puzzling out the story by looking at the pictures. She reads the story to them, and in her subsquent visits she brings books to help them learn to read. Before long, Amanda and the MacInteers look forward to her visits.

Of course, some complications ensue—a cave-in at the mine where Mr. MacInteer and his son Finn work, an unsavory character in the area, etc. Past and present secrets are revealed, but I'll not give them away. Suffice to say that justice is served in a way you'd never expect.

If you want a wonderful Appalachian reading experience, I highly recommend Light to the Hills.

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