"As usual I received this book because it arrived free of charge in exchange for a review. Despite that wonderful and typical kindness, I give my candid thoughts below.

In a nutshell, the story is one of a wounded soul in search of... herself, really. Running from a dark past she builds a new life in a small town in the mountains. The narrative is one of stark realism for the most part but does have a somewhat extra-sensory or supernatural thread. The text is organized in sections devoted to various points in the character's life and as the story unfolds the reader hears the backstory that brings our heroine to her current state.

On the positive side, as always Smith renders her characters with great care and imagery. She cobbles together a whole town with wonderful realism that makes me wonder if she has actually been there. The plot is complex and believable and it's easy to become invested in this little niche in the mountains. She also introduces elements of the Native Canadian culture into her novel in a way that drives interest and adds even more color to an already varied backdrop.

To the negative side, the supernatural elements of the book did come as a bit of a shock. I cannot go into details for fear of spoilers but some of the characters in the novel have an intuition of sorts about others that seemed to be introduced rather jarringly. It was well executed but I didn't expect it so it was a bit of a hiccup in an otherwise very realistic novel.

In summary, Smith has done exceptionally in this story and this will be one of those tales that runs through my head for weeks to come. It has a few foibles but boasts fewer typos than any eBook I've read in a while. The quality of Smith's writing is incomparable and I always find myself wondering why she doesn't have more of a following." ( )