Book
Description:
Ten years ago, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a backcountry hiking
trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. Over the years, they grew
apart, each coping with the loss in her own way. Olivia plunged herself into
law school, work, and a materialist view of the world--what you see is what you
get, and that's all you get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an
online life-coaching business around her cafeteria-style spirituality--a little
of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.
Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are
embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most
dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward
is the one way they had never considered.
Michigan Notable Book Award winner Erin Bartels draws from personal experience
hiking backcountry trails with her sister to bring you a story about the
complexities of grief, faith, and sisterhood.
My Thoughts:
Erin Bartels created a brilliant and moving story of two sisters searching for
hope. She beautifully balances total disbelief with belief in whatever gets you
by, while telling a heartrending tale of love and loss. The sisters, as most
are, come across very different from one another with a link that joins them forever.
Through all of the ups and downs of the camping trip, I felt like I was hiking
along the path with Melanie and Olivia. Bartels reveals a spiritual thread
throughout the story that left me seeking more. And there is a twist or two. I won't
give that away, but I will say it was the perfect way to integrate grace into a
tragic story. If you enjoy heartfelt, family stories that delve deep, you'll
want to read All That We Carried.
I've read all of Bartels' books and this one is my favorite. I received a
complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are
completely my own.