Tradition clashes with modernity in this unforgettable debut novel, set in a small Nova Scotia village in the early 20th century, that is reminiscent of the works of Annie Proulx and Chris Bohjalian.
Anna leaves behind her beloved Mesa Verde to take on a position as district park ranger of the Mississippi Natchez Trace Parkway. Once there she faces an angry staff that refuses to work with a woman supervisor. But she pushes that difficulty aside when she stumbles over the body of a teenage girl, shrouded in a hood reminiscent of the KKK. As Anna searches for the truth amidst lies and evasions, she discovers the overgrown woods, thick with kudzu, hold dark secrets that can only lead to violence.
"And so here they are, dusted, which was but a decent thing to do, but in no way polished, extending from the year ‘98 to the year ‘20, a thin array (for such a stretch of time) of really innocent attitudes: Conrad literary, Conrad political, Conrad reminiscent, Conrad controversial..."
