by Josh Ritter
First published 2011
Henry Bright returns from World War I trenches to find his young wife dead and himself alone with their infant son in the West Virginia mountains. When fire destroys his home, Bright must flee with the baby through a landscape consumed by flames. An angel who followed him from the battlefields of France guides their escape, promising protection for father and child. A stubborn goat joins their strange procession through the burning wilderness. Behind them comes the Colonel, Bright's dead wife's father, accompanied by his two violent sons in relentless pursuit. War memories torment Bright as he struggles to keep his son alive in the smoke and chaos. The angel's presence offers hope, but salvation remains distant. Bright must navigate both the physical dangers of the forest fire and the psychological wounds that followed him home from France. His journey becomes a test of whether love for his child can overcome grief, trauma, and the violent men hunting them through the mountains.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, adventure
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, grief, pursuit
Setting: France, West Virginia
Period: World War I
193 pages · Hardcover · The Dial Press
Content warnings: death, violence