The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti
There's no explanation for the thousands of dead birds that rain
down from the sky on the baseball field in Mt. Oanoke,
Pennsylvania, a depressed little town still reeling from the
paper mill closing that cost so many people their livelihoods.
Nate Winters is the revered high school baseball coach in Mt. Oanoke. He and wife, Alecia, seem to be perfectly matched, the ideal couple. Behind closed doors, however, the cracks in the foundation of their marriage are growing deeper. She struggles with the daily needs of their autistic son, Gabe, as her husband spends more and more time away from home. Rumors swirl that Nate is involved with student Lucia Hamm, that white-haired teenager with the ruby red lips. Many believe she's a "witch", responsible for that deluge of blackbirds on this unsuspecting town. When Lucia disappears, colleagues and residents turn on Nate, choosing to believe the gossip and innuendos that paint him as a prime suspect. Bridget, Lucia's creative writing teacher and Alecia's good friend, begins her own investigation, deciphering telltale words in a journal that point to a complicated maze of deception and secrets. What she finds is nothing short of astounding.
This gripping drama has so many layers; a wife consumed with
obligations and insecurities who doesn't quite trust her husband, a teacher overstepping his bounds, teenagers bent on destroying reputations, the ugliness of social media, and a town on edge, quick to believe the worst about one of their own.
The ending isn't all tied up in a tidy little package. Yes, there's closure, or is there? Lingering doubts remain about the future of this troubled place with the hypnotic spell.
And that's what makes this novel so very, very good.
There's no explanation for the thousands of dead birds that rain
down from the sky on the baseball field in Mt. Oanoke,Pennsylvania, a depressed little town still reeling from the
paper mill closing that cost so many people their livelihoods.
Nate Winters is the revered high school baseball coach in Mt. Oanoke. He and wife, Alecia, seem to be perfectly matched, the ideal couple. Behind closed doors, however, the cracks in the foundation of their marriage are growing deeper. She struggles with the daily needs of their autistic son, Gabe, as her husband spends more and more time away from home. Rumors swirl that Nate is involved with student Lucia Hamm, that white-haired teenager with the ruby red lips. Many believe she's a "witch", responsible for that deluge of blackbirds on this unsuspecting town. When Lucia disappears, colleagues and residents turn on Nate, choosing to believe the gossip and innuendos that paint him as a prime suspect. Bridget, Lucia's creative writing teacher and Alecia's good friend, begins her own investigation, deciphering telltale words in a journal that point to a complicated maze of deception and secrets. What she finds is nothing short of astounding.
This gripping drama has so many layers; a wife consumed with
obligations and insecurities who doesn't quite trust her husband, a teacher overstepping his bounds, teenagers bent on destroying reputations, the ugliness of social media, and a town on edge, quick to believe the worst about one of their own.
The ending isn't all tied up in a tidy little package. Yes, there's closure, or is there? Lingering doubts remain about the future of this troubled place with the hypnotic spell.
And that's what makes this novel so very, very good.
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