LOVE STORY*?a poignant story of formative forbidden young love and loss, set against the natural world. MOTHER-SON novel?the novel is also an exploration of motherhood, from the points of view of two mothers, one by blood and one adoptive STUNNING NATURE WRITING?like Where the Crawdads Sing or The Overstory , the novel is immersed in the natural world?nature itself is almost a character. A NOVEL ABOUT HOME*?At the beginning of the novel Victoria's home lies drowned under the lake. The novel is an exploration of what home means to us and where we can find it. WESTERN FICTION?the author is a fourth-generation Coloradan who spends much time in the wilderness, and the story is based on many of her family's stories and her own experiences. The Colorado setting will resonate with readers of Kent Haruf and Peter Heller. BASED ON A LITTLE-KNOWN FASCINATING HISTORICAL EVENT?in 1966 the town of Iola, Colorado, was drowned