Engaging, hard to put down, and a beautiful story of courage, tenacity, friendship and finding God when it looks like he’s abandoned you. The 1930’s Dust Bowl made the perfect landscape (quite literally) for this and I loved the history in it, while the writing style was very well done.

The story looks at two very different sisters, from the outside appearing the complete opposite of circumstances, and yet fighting some of the same battles internally. I loved Melissa especially, figuring out how to have courage in very real fear, and her much needed, but unlikely, friendship with Annie. It was written in a way that you could feel what each of the sisters felt and faced.

The author does a fantastic job at working thru very difficult and heartbreaking circumstances, and our view of God. How easy it can become hopeless and despairing and the struggle to find him despite what we see in front of us. The character development of how both Melissa and Kathryn found him in their situation in the end was thoughtful, transparent, and compassionate, not minimizing or over-simplified. I loved the look at perspective and what that does to our situation and our faith.