Laurel lives with her brother, Hank, in an isolated cove in the Appalachian valley. Their parents are recently dead, and Hank has returned from the war, minus one hand.
It's a hard life, made even harder because the people think the cove is cursed and that Laurel is a witch. A secretive man appears who is mute, and ends up staying to help Hank with the farm. He's also taken a shine to Laurel.
The man's secrets are slowly revealed. We know right away that he has escaped from prison, but there's more to it.
Not much happens in The Cove. It's a somewhat simple story of love and secrets. But the way it is written keeps you in the story. The norms of a society at war and the difficulties of digging a well are just couple examples of explorations in The Cove that make the story rich in atmosphere.
I do have another complaint, though. I'm confused by the last sentence of the book. Does that change everything? Am I getting that right?
I decided to read The Cove because of Rash's other book, Serena, that was weirdly awesome. The Cove just didn't have the same tone, so I can't say I liked it as much, but it was still a very positive reading experience.
Published by Ecco, 2012
eBook, purchased
272 pages
Rating: 3.5/5
I liked this one and didn't find it that confusing. I liked that it talked about WWI which I haven't found that many good books on the topic. I also liked the author's writing too.
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