In 1990, Valerie Boren-Odell decides she needs a change. Still grieving the death of her husband, and reluctant to settle just to make her life easier when she knows it’s not best for her small son, she takes a job at newly minted Horsethief Trail National Park in Oklahoma. A law enforcement ranger, Val is the only woman on the force. While she does her best to fit in, she is continually faced with sexist and derogatory remarks.

Val also wasn't expecting to walk straight into a mystery. After her arrival, the bodies of three children are found in a far-off cave in what most believe to be a ritual burial, a hiker goes missing, and a foster child in town known for her lies is constantly on her mind. Val finds a friend among the Choctaw Tribal Police force, who helps her make inroads among the locals and track down leads in the case.

"Wingate does a heartfelt job of telling both Ollie and Val’s stories and showing how change finds us all in the end, especially when we fight to make that change real."

In 1909, 11-year-old Olive Augusta Radley chooses to take matters into her own hands and leave the relative safety of her home to protect her adopted sister, six-year-old Nessa. Their stepfather is a cruel man, and after the mysterious disappearance of her other adopted sister, Ollie realizes that being on their own is the safer option. She plans their escape, but things go sideways. They find themselves running not only from their stepfather, but from others trying to catch them.

After a harrowing chase down the river, Ollie and Nessa meet up with a small group of youngsters living in the woods. A band of Choctaw and abandoned children, the little community is simply looking for safety and shelter in the woods. Ollie, while skeptical at first, decides there is safety in numbers, so they stay together. While only 11, Ollie is old enough to work and does what she can to keep everyone safe while trying to stay hidden herself. When they all start to relax into their new lives and routines, tragedy strikes once more. Ollie and Nessa again find themselves running and alone.

I love when novelists allow their audience to see characters from different eras and perspectives. In SHELTERWOOD, Lisa Wingate takes readers on an emotional ride through time. We feel Val’s grief and uncertainty as she tries to find a place for herself and her young son after her husband passes away. She pushes forward hoping to find solace in her work. Ollie is running to safety, doing all she can to keep Nessa out of the hands of their stepfather and along the way manages to find a family among the abandoned children roaming the woods. You feel the rage and the hurt, and you understand why Val and Ollie are running toward new lives.

Wingate brings the story full circle, and while happy endings are few and far between for these individuals, there is a lot of closure. While it doesn’t erase the hurt, it does bring understanding, which is what makes this story so lovely. SHELTERWOOD is about finding different paths, building new lives, and the heartbreak that is also part of the journey. Additionally, it shines a light on the women who were fighting for needed change in a world built and controlled by men.

It’s not always an easy book to read --- many parts are sad and disturbing --- but Wingate does a heartfelt job of telling both Ollie and Val’s stories and showing how change finds us all in the end, especially when we fight to make that change real.