Introduction

Hildy Nybo filled many roles in her life… a sister, daughter, and scientist. She was an introvert who seemed deeply conflicted and troubled by a history of lost memories and dysfunctional relationships. She escaped from her home life as soon as she was old enough to leave. The day finally came when she knew she would return home. The temptation was an opening for a dream job she could not resist. The job was made sweeter by knowing she would be working with a boss who was an older man that she highly respected in her field of study.

Taking this job would mean coming back to a family, home, acquaintances, and river where she grew up. Hildy would have to face her mother who was suffering from dementia and the absence of her father who had mysteriously disappeared when she was quite young. As she traveled back into this world of childhood family and friends she knew that this would be a very big challenge.

Story Summary

As a scientist, Hildy Nybo was called in to help with the re-wilding of the river where she grew up. The plan was to open up the dam from the lake that currently existed and let the land and river go back to it’s original ecosystem. The team’s goal was to allow the native salmon and other wildlife to return to the area. She would be part of the team that would be bringing this to fruition. It would be an exciting adventure for her as a biologist. The downfall was that she would have to return to a place where she had lost many childhood memories. She would have to face family and friends. She knew it would not be easy but it would be important. The remarkable insights and events from this decision to return home would overwhelm her but it would also change her forever.

Once Hildy returned home she began settling into a her cabin. The cabin sat on a multi-cabin property her parents had run for many years for summer vacationers and seasonal hunters and fishermen. Not long after she arrived a local artist, Miranda Rimmer, rented an adjacent cabin for her pottery studio. Hildy kept her distance for awhile from her new neighbor. She began venturing toward Miranda when she noticed a carpenter coming in to work each day. Luke, the carpenter, had agreed to come and help with construction to get the studio ready for the public. Luke was Miranda’s brother.

Luke carried emotional scars from his own tragic story. Several years prior he lost his wife and two daughters in a dreadful accident. It had brought him to his knees and he had changed his life completely. His old life and career was too much of a reminder of his precious family’s tragic deaths. Luke recognized a kindred soul in Hildy and they built a slow friendship over time that dismantled Hildy’s emotional walls slowly. As troubling pieces of her past surfaced, Hildy dared to wonder if she could banish the shadows that have covered her and follow her own river’s course to freedom.

As we travel through Hildy’s story we have moments of real life events stepping into the forefront. We see the real Elwha River and an authentic camp for hunters and fishermen with it’s seasonal turns. Cheryl shares stories of an older couple who are running the camp and a tradition of dancing that brought the community together. It was a true joy to visit this little camp and river and all it’s lovely cast of characters.

My Personal Thoughts

I am still pondering this story 5 months after reading it. It is a beautiful story of restoration and faith. There are elements of redemption and forgiveness as Hildy works out her thoughts and emotions about her family and others close to her. I love that Hildy is an introvert. I related to her a great deal in how she used systems and coping mechanisms to keep her moving forward. It would have been so easy for her to retreat into herself and her little cabin. She became braver and braver as the story progressed.

Hildy is such a lovely young woman. I was able to really engage with her story. I wanted to give her a hug and tell her it would all be ok on several occasions. I just cringed with her as she had to take each new step toward finding freedom from childhood trauma. Seeing her mother struggle with dementia upon her return felt like such a shock from who her mother used to be. I loved how Bostrom incorporated the struggle of having a loved one with dementia and how hard each day felt with the challenges that come with that diagnosis.

I must say that I have been delighted by Cheryl Bostrom’s novels. They are deeply realistic and introspective. Her character development and descriptions of the natural world are absolutely riveting. I am able to imagine the scenes she is describing beautifully. Her characters are diverse and sometimes neurodivergent. She does not gloss over struggles and loss with her characters. There is always a deep spiritual struggle in her main characters. She allows us in to see the hand of God at work in their lives. I think that is my favorite part of how she unfolds her stories. God is always the foundation.

Bostrom brings us a beautiful challenging fictional story couched in a real event that took place on the Elwha River in the Pacific Northwest around 2012-2014. Take a moment to look that up or just click the link in the previous sentence to check it out.

If you are looking for a beautiful gift for Christmas I highly recommend Cheryl’s stories for the readers in your life. All three of her novels are engaging and hopeful in the midst of deep hurt and real struggles. She has won several prestigious awards for her writing and it is well deserved. She is a true gem in the Christian Fiction world. If you want to know more about Cheryl Bostrom you can check out her blog or Substack pages.