Book Review: The Quickening

Later this month, Michelle Hoover's The Quickening hits book racks and library carts and will hopefully will the praise from reviewers that it deserves! The basis of this book is easy to explain but its charm and beauty are extremely difficult to describe. All I can say, is that it reminded me of Willa Cather at her best but kept me on the edge of my seat. In just over 200 pages, I felt that there wasn't a single word wasted. The only advice I can give to you is: READ IT!

The novel starts in the early 1900s and follows Mary Morrow and Enidina Current as they live, work, and raise their families on two nearby farms. Mary is delicate, judgmental, and not particularly able to take the blame for her own actions. Though one would think that this would make her an unlikable character, it instead makes her easy to relate to at times and very real. Enidina Current was born to work the hard land. She is strongly built, strong willed, and extremely hard working. When she moves to the farm with her husband, she is thrilled with the prospect of living off of the land in a secluded area. She is not there a day before Mary comes over and "befriend" her. The two never quite have a friendship but they feel a kinship due to their similar situations. However, the tumultuous 1920s and 1930s push both women to their breaking point. Family and farm matters only further complicate their relationship which evolves from mutual respect and kinship to distrust and hate.

As with many excellent novels, there is no single climax. The story unfolds much as life does with ups and downs some of which can be foreseen while others wreck havoc for years in the future. The story is told in alternating voices between the two women. I was nervous about this aspect because I find such a technique to be kitschy when not done right. Yet, Hoover is able to master this device in a way that hasn't been done in years if not decades. Though there are some mysteries throughout the novel that keep you intrigued, I realized at the conclusion that the answers to all of these questions were sprinkled throughout the book. It is for this reason that I caution readers to notice each word. While other books allow for the occasional skipping of pages without much loss of plot, this novel captivates the reader and insists that he/she reads every sentence carefully. I honestly believe that this novel will become a classic of our time, which is saying a lot for a debut author!

-DLP