She sees another life when Arthur starts to come to the diner. He is about her age but rarely comes to town, preferring to live miles away in his family's summer cabin deep in the forest. He seldom speaks and when he does, it's like speaking is a task for him. There are scars on his face and head and rumors about how he got them. But Birdie sees more in Arthur and they strike up a relationship. When he suggests that she and Emaleen move in with him, Birdie is ready to go, even when her boss and Arthur's father both recommend against it.
Because Arthur has a secret. His father found him deep in the woods as a toddler, unable to speak English and apparently raised by a mother bear sow and her cub. His father takes him home and he and his wife spend the next years trying to help Arthur settle into human society. Only they know his secret but now Emaleen knows it as well as she watches Arthur near the forest where they now live.
Cut forward fifteen years. Emaleen is now grown and has returned to Alaska to try to remember her early life which just seems like a dream to her now. Will she learn the truth finally?
Eowyn Ivey was born and raised in Alaska and still lives there with her family. In this book, there is a mythic quality about the writing. What is the truth about Arthur? Is he really different or does he have mental issues that can endanger Birdie and Emaleen? The author leaves the issue open so that the reader can make up their own minds what really happened in the forests of Alaska in Emaleen's childhood. I'm still thinking about it and can't decide what the author believes herself. I find myself pondering questions about the book days after I finished it. Emaleen is a real heroine and the reader will cheer for her. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.
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