by Josh Ritter
First published 2021
Weldon Applegate sits in the tiny timber town of Cordelia, Idaho, at ninety-nine years old, telling the story of his boyhood during the final era of the lumberjacks. As a child, Weldon stepped into the deep pine forests that surrounded his home, dreaming of following his ancestors into their axe-swinging legacy. Local stories claimed his family line produced some of the greatest lumberjacks in the American West. But at the dawn of the twentieth century, the jacks were disappearing, and young Weldon faced a battle to protect his father's timber claim, the Lost Lot, from Linden Laughlin's grasping hands. His tale spills over with murder and mayhem, avalanches and bootlegging, all set against the backdrop of dark forests that seem to hold ancient magic. Weldon must defend not just land but the entire family tradition as the old ways of the timber camps fade into history.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical
Tropes: family-secrets, small-town
Setting: Cordelia, Idaho
Period: 20th Century
1 pages · Audio CD · Blackstone Publishing, Inc.