Lenni Reviews: Crooked River by Valerie Geary
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After the death of their mother, young Sam and Ollie are sent to life with their father, Bear; an eccentric man who lives in a tee-pee and is a beekeeper for a living. After being estranged for years after he left them, Ollie and Sam are adjusting as well as they can despite Sam's somber attitude and Ollie's refusal to utter a single word. Ollie can see the spirits of the dead and is convinced if she talks, the ghosts will take over and replace her words with theirs. Sam, of course, believes Ollie won't talk simply because their mother has died. When a woman's dead body washes up on a river bank and the girls find it, the entire town blames their father for her death; but something far more sinister is going on and the sisters take it upon themselves to prove him innocent.
Told from each sister's alternating points of view, This book has a poetic rhythm as hypnotizing as the hum of a beehive. Each girl talks with the sort of insight that only comes from profound loss and the mystery is classic small town secrets running their course. Geary does a great job of writing these two girls and telling the story in a compelling way and the supernatural elements aren't over done and once established, the ghosts don't break the rules. They can't suddenly appear to everyone to save the day. It really is up to the girls and the (admittedly, FRUSTRATINGLY obstinate) adults to solve the mystery of this woman's death and save the girl's lives.
I greatly enjoyed this coming of age story! It's tightly written, engaging, and ends without a drawn out exposition. Geary is an author to watch and I look forward to see what comes next.
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