by Eowyn Ivey
First published 2025
Birdie works tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, bringing her daughter Emaleen along when she has to. She drinks too much sometimes, but she manages as a single mother in a hard place. When Emaleen wanders into the forest and gets lost, Arthur Neilsen brings her back. Arthur lives alone, scarred and quiet, appearing in town only when seasons change. Most locals stay away from him. Birdie sees something different. She remembers her younger days roaming free in wild country. Arthur knows that land better than anyone. Despite warnings from people who worry about her, Birdie takes Emaleen across the Wolverine River to Arthur's remote mountain cabin. No roads reach them there. No phones or power lines either. Birdie thinks she has prepared for this life in the black woods. The isolation feels perfect at first. Then she learns Arthur carries secrets darker than she imagined. Alaska wilderness holds beauty and terror in equal measure. So do fairy tales.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, adventure, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Alaska, Black Woods, Wolverine River
Period: Contemporary
306 pages · Hardcover · Random House
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, mental-illness