Many thanks to Netgalley and Scribner Books for the digital ARC of damnation Spring by Ash Davidson! I highly recommend this book if you like settling in with a community, getting to know a wealth of vivid and complex characters (the kind you think about when you aren’t reading), with an excellent slow burn of increasing tensions that come to an emotional conclusion. And it’s a heartbreaker.
I was initially drawn in by the very familiar Pacific Northwest atmosphere, and could picture it all so clearly. This was an especially impactful read after having finished The Seed Keeper and listening to Braiding Sweetgrass on audio. The author is from this logging area of Northern California and, though she is not indigenous, I think she represented her indigenous characters well. So many themes to unpack on environmentalism, and how we take care of ourselves, our families. This book will stick with me, and I highly recommend it - with the caveat of major trigger warning for miscarriage and stillbirth.