"We can never know the future. Our life is like a book, a book that is locked. We have to find the key or we never know what is on the next page. And we don't know the end of the story until each page has been turned and the story has ended." (ch. 1)A housewife in the 18th century who lives in a Dutch community at the base of the Catskills Mountains runs her farm and household without the help of her husband, a lackadaisical dreamer who abandons her and their son and daughter after a particularly scathing verbal attack from his wife. The children also leave home as young teenagers fed up with their hardworking, demanding mother and craving independence. Alone, the woman copes until the Revolutionary War turns her life upside down, forcing her to turn another key in the book of her life.
The hard life of a woman on a farm in a Dutch farming community along the Hudson River near the Catskills Mountains, the Revolutionary War, and local folklore are all tied up in this engrossing historical novel. Excellent characterization, descriptions, and storytelling.
Title: Seven Locks: A Novel by Christine Wade
Publisher: Atria Books, January 1, 2013
Source: review copy from publisher
Submitted to Book Review Wednesday hosted by Cym Lowell
