Heartwood is a genre blending story of a woman who goes missing on the Appalachian Trail. Valerie Gillis vanishes 200 miles from her end point, excruciatingly close to the culmination of her goal. Valerie is a forty two year old nurse who has taken a leave of absence from work to hike, a very surprising choice as she has no background in hiking or camping. 

Bev is a seasoned Maine game warden who is tasked with the search for Valerie. After decades of service, Bev is approaching retirement and reflecting on her career as one of the only female wardens and on her choices to isolate herself from relationships. Meanwhile, we also read from the perspective of Lena, a resident at a retirement home who is an avid bird watcher and armchair detective. 

Told from the perspectives of these three women, Heartwood also integrates mixed media and does not use traditional chapter organization. I found this interesting but also unevenly executed in relation to the pacing of the story. Overall I thought the exploration of motherhood and estrangement themes were surface level at best. I kept reading to find out what happened to Valerie, but this isn't a story I'd return to or strongly recommend.