Note: I was given early access to SHELTERWOOD and am writing this review voluntarily. Thank you netgalley and Ballantine Books. Scheduled publication: June 4, 2024.
Two stories, two narrators, and two timelines, with origins in United States government policies surrounding the treatment of indigenous people and their lands. While I’m generally a fan of this bestselling author, I was disappointed by this book. Awarded three stars on Goodreads, making me a real outlier since the book currently has an average rating of more than 4 stars.
Up front let me acknowledge that I am not a big fan of novels that move back and forth in time, where a connection is not revealed until the very end of the book. With few exceptions, I too often feel the author is simply employing an over-used literary device that keeps both stories intentionally obscure and harder to follow, because just as I get involved in one storyline, it’s dropped to pick up the second. And then back again.
SHELTERWOOD’s two storylines take place in Oklahoma about 80 years apart:
1909 – the story of two young runaways who meet up with other children living on their own — in a time before there were social service agencies or child labor laws to keep unscrupulous adults from taking advantage of children. This story is narrated by 12-year-old Olive Augusta Radley, the older of the two runaways.
1990 – Newly widowed Valerie Boren O’dell (narrator) and her very inquisitive seven-year-old son Charlie have just relocated to Oklahoma to make a fresh start. Valerie is one of the first women rangers assigned to a national park and eager to prove herself to her sexist male colleagues. Almost immediately she gets involved in missing persons.
In telling both stories, author Lisa Wingate weaves in a variety of historical and contemporary elements. Skeletal remains, accidental death, and murder. Lucrative oil leases. Wealthy locals wielding power through their connections. Fledgling groups trying to organize women to effect political action. Kate Barnard, the first woman elected to statewide office in Oklahoma (who served before women even had the right to vote), and took an interest in helping the many abandoned children living on their own. And, of course, endlessly fascinating, the inner workings of dysfunctional families.
So, with all this drama, why did I award only three stars? Overall, I simply did not enjoy reading this novel. The pace seemed slow, not picking up until nearly three-quarters in. It felt long (368 pages) and picking it up felt too much like a chore. And I admit I did not find this subject matter all that compelling. I think I would have liked it more if it was more focused on indigenous people rather than White ones. There were a lot of characters to track, made more difficult by continuing moving back and forth between stories. And I found that back and forth kept me at a distance, limiting my ability to become emotionally involved.
In my mind, a three star rating is a gift, awarded chiefly because I truly believe readers less annoyed by dual timeline stories and more interested in this subject matter and time period will enjoy the book much more than I did.
More about the author, Lisa Wingate.
You may be interested in my reviews of other books by Wingate:
Discover more from Toby A. Smith
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
Toby A. Smith 