In her debut novel, Carol Dunbar draws from her own lived experiences, vividly describing the wonder and harshness of life off the grid. Told over the course of a year, The Net Beneath Us is a lyrical exploration of loss, marriage, parenthood, and self-reliance; a tale of how the natural world—without and within us—offers us healing, if we can learn where to look. “Dunbar delivers both a tumble through the shifting light of grief, and a forgiving forest floor on which to land.” —Leif Enger, New York Times bestselling author of Peace Like a River and Virgil Wander He promised her he would never let go. She’s willing to risk everything to hold on. In the aftermath of her husband’s logging accident, Elsa has more questions than answers about how to carry on while caring for their two small children in the unfinished house he was building for them in the woods of rural Wisconsin. To cope with the challenges of winter and the near-daily miscommunications from her in-laws, she forges her own relationship with the land, learning from and taking comfort in the trees her husband had so loved. If she wants to stay in their home, she must discover her own capabilities, and accept help from the people and places she least expects. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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A devastating story of grief and one women's journey to carving out a path to connectedness through the fulcrum of loss, challenge, and acceptance. I loved the sense of place - as Elsa navigated living “off the grid” in my home state of Wisconsin and the challenges of weather, homesteading, raising two children alone, and discovering the serenity, beauty, and solidarity with nature. Her struggles rang true, from the initial challenge, through her fierce (some might say stubborn) desire to handle things on her own, to her final acceptance of her found family, there was not one moment when the emotions didn't ring true. And her daughter Hester was a treasure. Children are more sensitive to nuance and emotions than we give them credit for and Hester is a true example of how sincere and raw our childhood experiences can be.
