Damnation Spring, by Ash Davidson 3.5*

 

Damnation Spring is a book about the old growth redwood forests of the American PNW, with the switch that it is told from the perspective of the families who make their living cutting those magnificent trees down for lumber.

Following the Gunderson family, Colleen, a young mother, her husband, Rich, a lumberjack, we encounter the hazards, fears and tragedies faced due to poverty, environmental collapse, politics, and family relationships. The characters are well drawn, and the descriptions so spot on you will feel stuck in the mud along with the characters.

It took a while for me to adjust to the dialect and language of this book, but it was done with such authenticity and confidence that once I was a chapter or two in, I was thinking in those phrases and patterns of speech. I think this author deserves kudos for making this happen.

I'm all for treating our characters badly to develop the story, but these folks never seemed to get a break.  It was hard to keep reading, realizing that inevitably, something bad or worse was coming.  Perhaps that is the situation in this part of the world.  In the end, I felt terribly sad.