Category Archives: S M Hulse

Review: Eden Mine by S.M. Hulse

Title: Eden Mine by S.M. Hulse
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In Eden Mine, the award-winning author of Black River examines the aftershocks of an act of domestic terrorism rooted in a small Montana town on the brink of abandonment, as it tears apart a family, tests the faith of a pastor and the loyalty of a sister, and mines the deep rifts that come when the reach of the government clashes with individual freedom

Jo Faber is packing up the home she and her brother Samuel inherited. For generations, the Fabers have lived near Eden Mine, but Jo and Samuel will be the last. Their family home has been seized by the state through eminent domain.

At the moment she hears the news of the bombing on the radio, Jo knows nothing, but she also knows that something isn’t right. The arrival of their friend and unofficial guardian, Sheriff Hawkins, confirms her suspicions. Samuel said he was going to find work. But soon it’s clear that he’s not gone, but missing—last seen by a security camera near the district courthouse at Elk Fork. And a nine-year-old girl, the daughter of a pastor of a storefront church, is in critical condition.

This isn’t the first time Jo and Samuel have seen the ravages of violence visit their family. Last time, they lost their mother and Jo lost her ability to walk. Samuel took care of her, outfitted their barn with special rigging so she could keep riding their mule. But he was never the same, falling in with a separatist group, getting a tattoo he’d flaunt, then spending years hiding. She thought he had finished with all that. But now he’s missing, and she can’t talk to the one person she trusts.

A timely story of the anger and disaffection tearing apart many communities in this country, S.M. Hulse’s Eden Mine is also a beautiful novel of the West, of a deep love for the land, of faith in the face of evil, and of the terrible choices we make for the ones we love.

Review:

Eden Mine by S.M. Hulse is a poignant, contemplative novel that takes place in the aftermath of a courthouse bombing.

Twenty-two year old Josephine “Jo” Faber is no stranger to tragedy but she can always rely on her older brother Samuel to support and assist her. But her world is upended when family friend Sheriff Cody Hawkins comes searching for Samuel. With a creeping sense of dread, Jo continues to insist her brother is on his way to Wyoming to search for work. But when faced with irrefutable proof Samuel bombed the courthouse in Elk Fork, Jo grapples with her staunch loyalty and love for her deeply flawed brother.

In the aftermath of the bombing, Jo clings tightly to her daily routine. She is also aware her days on the family ranch are limited due to imminent domain. She reluctantly packs up the household as she continues to refuse to help Hawkins and FBI Agent Will Devin find Samuel. Jo reflects on her reluctance to challenge his extremist beliefs as she tries to accept the reality of Samuel’s actions. She also desperately tries to reconcile the caring, loving brother she knows and loves against the truth that he committed a terrorist act. Jo also forms an unlikely (and uneasy) friendship with Pastor Asa Truth whose young daughter Emily is critically injured in the bombing.

Asa’s deep-seated faith is shaken in the aftermath of the bombing. He too has experienced heartbreaking losses but with Emily’s life hanging in the balance, he is questioning his long held beliefs and faith.  While mostly calm and serene, Asa also experiences occasional flashes of rage as  he lashes out at Jo.

Short passages in the form of letters provide enlightening glimpses into Samuel’s mind. Seven years older than Jo, he has been deeply affected by his family’s losses. He is deeply committed to caring for Jo but he also nurtures a deep-seated antipathy for the US government.  Samuel remains in hiding as the manhunt continues. But with the date in which they must vacate the ranch quickly approaching, what will Samuel and Jo do next?

Eden Mine is a thought-provoking novel with an engrossing storyline and well-developed characters. Despite her age and isolated life, Jo is insightful, mature and quite wise. Asa is a gentle man who is flailing with his worry for Emily and his diminishing faith. Sheriff Hawkins bears the weight of guilt for past decisions. Samuel is a lost soul whose brief glimpses of self-awareness terrify him. The Montana setting springs vibrantly to life as Jo tries to paint her family ranch as her days in her home dwindle down. S.M. Hulse  slowly steers the novel to a harrowing, tense conclusion that is realistic and satisfying.

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Review: Black River by S. M. Hulse

black riverTitle: Black River by S. M. Hulse
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 240 pages
Book Rating: A

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A tense Western and an assured debut, Black River tells the story of a man marked by a prison riot as he returns to the town, and the convict, who shaped him.

When Wes Carver returns to Black River, he carries two things in the cab of his truck: his wife’s ashes and a letter from the prison parole board. The convict who held him hostage during a riot, twenty years ago, is being considered for release.

Wes has been away from Black River ever since the riot. He grew up in this small Montana town, encircled by mountains, and, like his father before him and most of the men there, he made his living as a Corrections Officer. A talented, natural fiddler, he found solace and joy in his music. But during that riot Bobby Williams changed everything for Wes — undermining his faith and taking away his ability to play.

How can a man who once embodied evil ever come to good? How can he pay for such crimes with anything but his life? As Wes considers his own choices and grieves for all he’s lost, he must decide what he believes and whether he can let Williams walk away.

With spare prose and stunning detail, S. M. Hulse drops us deep into the heart and darkness of an American town.

The Review:

Black River is a bittersweet and sometimes heartbreaking story that is, ultimately, uplifting. In this debut novel of love, loss and grief, it is S. M. Hulse’s exploration of faith, forgiveness and redemption that make it such an outstanding and riveting read.

Wes Carver is an ex-corrections officer whose life was forever changed by a prison riot that scarred him both mentally and physically. Now the inmate who kidnapped and tortured him during the riot is up for parole and Wes has two reasons to return to Black River: bury his beloved wife Claire’s ashes and speak at Bobby Williams’ parole hearing.  Also waiting for Wes is his estranged stepson Dennis and the complicated history that resulted in an almost twenty year rift between them. Haunted by his losses and regretful for past mistakes, will Wes be able to let go of the pain and anger he has carried for so many years?

Wes views the world in black and white and he has a very rigid definition of right and wrong. From a generation that carries pain and sorrow deep inside, he does not discuss past mistakes or wrong decisions. Wes is very stoic and unable to articulate his emotions. He is a good man, but his career as a corrections officer coupled with his long held beliefs make it virtually impossible for him to judge a man on his own merits. Underneath Wes’s pragmatic and unemotional demeanor is a deeply spiritual and immensely talented man whose search for faith is challenged by the loss of his ability to play the fiddle and newly discovered information about Bobby Williams.

Wes and Dennis’s reunion is uneasy and fraught with tension. Their unresolved history hovers between them and they step very carefully around one another. Wes is surprised by the changes in Dennis but their past issues sometimes bring glimpses of the boy he used to know to the surface. Wes ignores the opportunities to get to the root of their issues and when he reverts to his old patterns, he destroys what little progress the two men have made in repairing their fractured relationship.

Black River is a poignant novel of healing that is quite compelling. The characters are deeply flawed but sympathetic. Their conflicts are believable and easy to relate to. S. M. Hulse provides a realistic conclusion to the story and while not everything is fully resolved, the overall ending is satisfying and hopeful.   All in all, a very impressive debut novel that is incredibly moving and one that I heartily recommend.

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