Let's get this off first.  This is not a book for anyone.  Laurel Saville writes with such sophistication and intensity that makes North of Here not for the faint of heart.  If you're looking for an easygoing and mindless read, this is not for you.  However, if you prefer books with depth and meaning, North of Here will not disappoint.  Though I must warn you, this novel set in the Adirondacks is not a typical romantic suspense nor is it predictable in any way.

Written in the perspectives of four characters, readers get to be part of their thoughts and their lives from their own eyes; and disturbingly enough, the start of a "back-to-nature" cult that threatens the livelihood and whatever happiness these characters have.  Laurel's poetic narratives of the environment, with her unyielding display of a person's emotional turmoil in self-destruction gives readers a poignant novel that beseech compassion and logic.  I did not put this book down, because you just don't know what's next, and after the tragic beginnings for these characters, you don't want to leave it at that. Your compassion kicks into high gear and you hope that by the end, the twists and turns will end and there finally will be lasting peace and happiness.

"...many of these children lived in a moment-by-moment world with little room for what Miranda was slowly starting to realize were luxuries: curiosity, ambition, and reflection." (5)

"The sun always came up, but sometimes it was obscured by clouds; a grand tree fell down in a storm and became a nurse leg for other trees; a deer died in a hard winter, giving lots of other small animals an important source of protein; acute baby birds also sometimes pushed their siblings out of the nest; foxes hunted both vermin and new chicks; mothers took care of their young simply because hormones compelled them to. He had little philosophy in him other than a dogged desire to do quality work, to be kind and helpful when called upon, to leave things better than he found them...He never considered how rare and decent these qualities made him." (34)

"They both counted the minutes.  In a fewer than expected, the door swung open, banging rudely against the wall.  Stamp, stamp. Two boots. No voices. Miranda stood. Dix strode into the room and met her eye. 'Call 911,' he said." (13) 

(Please note, for my readers who prefer clean reads, this book does contain some profanity and sex scene. )

NOTE:  I received a complimentary copy of this book through TLC Book Tours for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.