A Winter’s Rime by Carol Dunbar
Carol Dunbar's newest novel, A WINTER'S RIME, explores the tough themes of generational trauma and human trafficking. 25-year-old Mallory Moe is an Army vet living with her girlfriend in a cabin in the woods of Wisconsin. Mallory isn't sure what she wants to do next -- including whether or not she wants to stay in her relationship with Andrea, who is often jealous and controlling. Mallory works overnights at a gas station with Noah, a brilliant and funny young man on the spectrum, her only authentic friendship and one that seems to center her. She is estranged from her parents, who have divorced, and her younger sister. She is haunted by memories of her childhood and early adulthood.
One night, after a violent argument with Andrea, Mallory leaves the cabin to walk the dog. Suddenly, a young woman stumbles out of the woods, nearly naked and bleeding. Shay, the young woman, begs her for help; she has escaped from two men who are out looking for her. Mallory enlists the help of Landon, her neighbor, and the two bring Shay to the hospital in his pick up truck.
Mallory desperately wants to rescue Shay and begins an inquiry into becoming her foster parent, when Shay goes missing again. Though Mallory wants to save Shay, she really is trying to save herself.
Dunbar has written a sensitive and studied story about generational trauma and it's effects. Dunbar's writing is evocative and lyrical. Her characters are complex and their relationships are conflicted. Yet, she does not turn to easy answers. And though things don't turn out as Mallory might have wished, in the end she finds salvation.
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