by Amy Greene
First published 2010
Myra Lamb possesses haint blue eyes and inherits "the touch" from her grandmother Byrdie on remote Bloodroot Mountain. This mysterious ability bewitches both people and animals, marking Myra as different in their Appalachian community. A neighbor boy yearns for her love but cannot claim it. When Myra meets John Odom, a man determined to control her wild nature, their explosive relationship leads to devastating violence. The romance destroys lives across generations, forcing Myra to abandon her twin children though her love for them runs deep. Multiple voices tell this story spanning from the Great Depression to modern times, revealing how one family carries the burden of magic, madness, and buried secrets. The bloodroot flower gives the tale its name, a plant whose crimson sap can both cure and kill, much like the forces that shape these mountain people's lives.
Genres: romance, family-life, 20th-century, magical-realism, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-legacy, forbidden-love
Setting: Appalachia, Bloodroot Mountain
Period: Great Depression, Modern Times
291 pages · Hardcover · Alfred A. Knopf
Content warnings: abuse, violence