I shared this on another sub too but I recently finished “In the Fields of Fatherless Children” a historical fiction by Oregon author, Pamela Steele. I really loved it.
It is told through the voices of multi generational female characters in the coal towns of Appalachia during the Vietnam War. While being very rooted in the land in which it takes place, there is also a corresponding spiritual/mystical element to it—related to the often intertwined nature of folk beliefs, ancestry, and place. I really enjoyed this feature of the book and how it helped tell the story.
So much that goes wrong for the female characters in particular, but all the characters regardless, is rooted in the norms of a racist-patriarchal society—from micro to macro levels. In the face of this, women and girls hold each other and everything else together (indeed a tale as old as time).
It will often break your heart. And if you’re like me, you will have to remind yourself of the sea the characters are swimming in for why they do or don’t do certain things, but I was so glad I read it. Maybe it’s your next read!