Gap Creek
By Robert Morgan
Be forewarned. This is not a happily-ever-after story!
I seem to be drawn to books that are a little on the dark side…or is it just reality? You won’t have to read ten chapters waiting for the action to start. I was gasping right from the first few pages.
The main character is named Julie. She is only 17 and her life is more than merely hard, it is exhausting and frightening. Even when she marries a handsome 18-year-old named Hank, life doesn’t get much better. Death, followed by fire, followed by flood, poverty, childbirth and starvation. I’m not kidding, you’ll be so appreciative of your fridge and cupboards full of food. (Think Grapes of Wrath.)
Maybe you’ve heard the expression, “If it weren’t for bad luck, there’d be no luck at all.” That’s the case in this story that takes place in the late 1800’s in Appalachia. It will give you a deep appreciation for the early Saints in the Salt Lake Valley or for anyone starting out life on their own from nothing, but the will to succeed through their own hard work. I don’t know if you could call their lives a success, though. It’s more that they just keep on keeping on.
I was fascinated by the detailed descriptions of what life was like for a woman over a hundred years ago.
It ends rather abruptly… and you’ll be exhausted when it’s over!
I’d love for there to be a sequel that details happier times for Hank and Julie.