The Seas of West Virginia - Hardcover

by Jane Heidgerd Garrick (Author)

"We are all too familiar with the story of a sensitive young woman married to an ogre. Far less familiar, and far more gripping, is the story of a young woman married to a sensitive young man, both of them trying to find the way to live honestly and truthfully in America as it really is. In this novel, Garrick examines life in a rural America most of us know only from other novels, a world where education, politics, and finance play hardly any roles at all, and it's all about person and person and how to live in a world of seasons, animals, vegetation, and death. Her novel reminds me of Thomas Wolfe, another resident of Rhinebeck NY who spent so many poetic paragraphs striving to know the life of an ordinary person. An urgent rhythm drives her prose with poetic intensity and heartbreaking honesty." -Robert Kelly

"This image-rich novel will delight literary fiction aficionados looking for their next captivating read." -Publishers Weekly/Booklife

"In Garrick's novel, a young couple move to West Virginia in the late 1970s and immerse themselves in rural life. . . . Lily's narrative voice is melodic and soothing-her delight in the pleasures of country life . . . is refreshing and engagingly highlights the satisfactions of hard work and self-sufficiency. The cast of vividly rendered supporting characters, both human and animal, crackle on the page with expressive energy." -Kirkus Reviews

Two young lovers flee suburban mediocrity and head for the hills of West Virginia. This is a personal account of a journey that begins in youthful rebellion and leads to a life off the grid. It is 1976. At the time, much of American youth was swept up in a back-to-the-land movement embracing a simpler life. Ever hopeful that they will be better suited to the land than the city, our young couple begins to build a life together from scratch. These are the waters that test them on their way to independence and opportunity. This is their search for love, acceptance and belonging in a world unknown to many. Through a language drenched in natural wonder, this novel weaves a lyrical spell.