Lovely portrayal or the relationships in a woman's life. Mothers. Daughters. Lovers. Friends. The book stats off with a question but I was so absorbed in all the characters' stories that I had to go back and remind myself of what I was reading to find out. ( )

I read and enjoyed Hinnefeld's "In Hovering Flight" three years ago. At the time I made a note to watch out for her future books and when "Stranger Here Below" was published that year I put it on my wish list. I'm not sure whether I've changed since then (surely not!...nothing about me ever changes) but this book didn't appeal to me at all. Not only that, but I find that I'm really out of step with the LibraryThing reviewing team - everyone else gave this book 3 stars or more and the average rating is *higher* than her previous work. In this book I found her writing style decidedly flat and uninteresting, whereas others said it is "beautifully written"; "Ms. Hinnefeld's prose is simply stunning.", and "an intensely rich novel that left me temporarily paralyzed".
Holy cow! Why the discrepancy? I'm inclined to think that it's a race, religion & gender issue. I suspect that the people who really like this book do so because it connects closely to personal issues: race, Shaker religiosity, or specific female experience. As a white non-Shaker male, I stand at some distance from the work, and maybe that's why I didn't respond emotionally. Or maybe I'm just insensitive and superficial. ( )

Earlier this summer I chose Hinnefeld's first novel In Hovering Flight for my summer book club. I was looking forward to another smooth, meditative novel from her with Stranger Here Below and it delivered even if it didn't capture me quite the way that In Hovering Flight did.

Amazing Grace (Maze), the white daughter of a single mom from Appalachia, and Mary Elizabeth (M.E.), the musically gifted only child of a black preacher and his wife, find themselves as roommates at tiny Berea College in Kentucky in 1961. As mismatched as they seem to be, they come to be close friends, burrowing into each others' lives and hearts, becoming family despite their differences. Their individual stories and who they develop into as adults grow not only out of their own experiences but also out of their mothers' pasts and the past of the last Shaker sister in a tiny Shaker community, the quietly contemplative Sister Georgia. Maze's mother Vista has had to struggle mightily to support herself and her daughter in the wake of her husband's abandonment and M.E.'s mother Sarah was forever damaged by terrible, senseless violence and loss in her girlhood leaving her a husk of a person.

The novel bounces back and forth in time, telling the past and present stories of all of these women, each connected through hardship and blood. Their lives are played out against the larger screen of the times, the intolerance and racial tensions and hatreds, the stigma of difference, oppression, and the impulse toward a more natural world. So much of their lives, for all three generations of women, is out of their own control; decisions are made for them to conform to social norms regardless of their own wishes and desires. And yet manage to forge their own connections, nurture the good in each other, and find love and acceptance within themselves and in the greater society.

Each of the chapters are short and the women all have distinct voices so there's never a question of whose story the reader is engaged with at any time. But the jumps in time present a bit more of a problem, especially keeping Maze's and M.E.'s timelines straight. So many different storylines would be fine if they all seemed to be working toward the same end but they were often so disparate it was hard to keep all the threads as the story progressed and then the end just sort of happened. The writing here was lovely and well done though and overall I found this a quiet, reflective read. ( )

What I can say about this book – is READ IT. Read this book. Read this book. If you enjoy reading and books, this is a story for you. Okay.

Stranger Here Below is a beautifully written story the centers on several generations of women, who live in the south. Their story is told from the point of view of each woman; the shift is done chapter by chapter, but the transition is smooth and it is never choppy. The story of these women crosses both economic and racial lines, as do their relationships. Additionally, the shift from character to character moves back and forth in time. Gradually the characters and stories are woven together, so that the reader learns the relationships between the different characters and their influences on each other. This book is literary fiction at its best. Each word has weight and adds context to the story. As I was reading, I literally felt like I had climbed into the characters lives. I knew these women and they became my friends.

However that summary of this book does not do Stranger Here Below justice. Yes, it is a book told about 5 women who are connected and it is told across different time periods, flashing back to when each woman was younger and then her as a woman. Yes, the book takes place in Kentucky (and also Chicago for a short period of time). Yes, the book addresses issues of race beginning from the time period in the late 1800s through the late 1960s. Yes, the book addresses women’s relationships with each other and issues of economics and poverty. Those are all overarching themes, but amazingly the book is more than these themes.

The true focus of Stranger Here Below is about loss, love – both in romantic relationships and female friendships. Really, the men are side stories and the story focuses on the women, how they relate to each other, how they support each other, how they hurt each other and how they grow apart. Loss is almost another character in Stranger Here Below -- the loss and devastation caused by the death of family members, the death of close friends, the abandonment by a husband, the casting out by a community, and being left by behind by a parent. Despite the fact that Loss is central to the story, it is not a depressing story and Ms Hinnefeld does not detail the losses in a gory or heartbreaking way. In fact, reading this book made me want to reach out to the women in my life – family members and old friends. I strongly recommend this book. ( )

I enjoy literary fiction for the depth of its stories, the necessity of savoring each word and its ability to allow the reader to enter a new world without sacrificing the human foibles that connect the reader with the characters. Yet, I truly struggle to review literary fiction because my reaction to it is so subtle and so internal, it really is all but impossible to put that reaction into words. This is especially true of Stranger Here Below.

A beautifully told story about the friendship between two unlikely characters, Stranger Here Below is not just about friendship but rather delves into such weighty topics as racial tension, gender relations, politics, and religion. Maze and Mary Elizabeth explore their positions in the wider world, wanting to move forward while still tied to their family histories. It is a story of their journey towards independence as much as anything.

Ms. Hinnefeld chose to tell the story through the points-of-view of every female character mentioned - Sister Georgia with her refusal to follow the rules, Maze's mother with her loneliness, Mary Elizabeth's mother with her childhood trauma, Maze with her unique perspective on life, and Mary Elizabeth with her talent and limitations in a white world. As the characters intersect, their individual stories make sense and paint a picture of strong but damaged women who each manage to survive in her own way. The scars run deep but love helps them all overcome those scars, as does their individual strength.

Ms. Hinnefeld's prose is simply stunning. Clear, concise but effective, the reader has no confusion about what is occurring, no matter how horrific it may be. Stranger Here Below is not one of those stories that leaves a reader satisfied or even at peace with the resolution. Life is messy, and Ms. Hinnefeld does not shy away from that truth. Mary Elizabeth gains her independence but the cost is severe. Maze blazes her own path but at a price. While the reader fervently wishes that each of the characters would find peace, the reader knows that if this were to have happened, the ending would have been less authentic. Stranger Here Below tests the adage that love and friendship are forever and does so with an honest look at the outside forces that impact all relationships. While it isn't for everyone, this is one novel that challenges and rewards the right reader.