April 2026: Heartwood

karlimarie

karlimarie

Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
It's my birthday month and I love a good thriller, so this April we'll be reading Heartwood by Amity Gaige

This slow-burn, multi-POV mystery and suspense novel revolves around an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker who goes missing in the heart of the Maine woods. Forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, she pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.

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This thread is for initial thoughts, expectations, assumptions, etc - I'll be back the second week of April with a list of specific discussion questions for us all to dig into.

Just a reminder that book club is for everyone! Feel free to join us if and when you can - no pressure to keep up with every month... you can also pop in later in the year and catch up on the convo if you're a slow reader or had a long wait to get your copy. It's all very low-key.
 
I recently listened to the audiobook of this and really liked it. Pennsylvania is a part of the Appalachian Trail and I know something about the whole trail culture and people who set out to hike the whole thing. It's well done and if you do the audiobook the narrators are great.
 
I'm starting this because it's the only book they had at the library that was available. My kid's have given me a trail name; Mama Bear and I'm off hiking . . . reading . . . haha. It's keeping my interest and for that I'm excited!
 
FINISH! Enjoyed it very much. After reading it and seeing how it ended, I want to go read it again because I felt like I missed some important clues.

I can't wait to discuss this book with you all.

I've read three books now since joining this book club and I'm proud of myself - SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the FUN and ENJOYMENT!
 
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lorigaud said:
I am LOVING that this is primarily set in Maine... I recognize all the place names and can definitely picture the setting since I'm familiar with the area.
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That is SO cool, Lori!! That definitely makes for a better reading experience, IMO.
 
I finished the book.

I was disappointed. I had really enjoyed it until all of a sudden they got a tip, they searched, and she was found -- in a matter of just a few pages. I wanted to know exactly what condition she was in, meaning what did they have to do in order to get her to recover, what her parents and husband did when they found out she was found, and what happened to her marriage.Grantrd, there was a wrap-up, but that was months after she was found.

I kept waiting for Lena's personal story to have a causal connection, but it didn't. I felt that last chapter of Lena was unnecessary.

Santo wasn't really necessary, IMO, other than the usual interview as a witness and to add a bit of mystery that Gregory may have done something. I never thought so

I'm wondering why this was classified as psychological literary fiction, thriller, or suspense, as I felt There was none. There was some mystery -- Why couldn't she be found? Did something happen to her? Did someone take her?
 
lizziej said:
I finished the book.

I was disappointed. I had really enjoyed it until all of a sudden they got a tip, they searched, and she was found -- in a matter of just a few pages. I wanted to know exactly what condition she was in, meaning what did they have to do in order to get her to recover, what her parents and husband did when they found out she was found, and what happened to her marriage.Grantrd, there was a wrap-up, but that was months after she was found.

I kept waiting for Lena's personal story to have a causal connection, but it didn't. I felt that last chapter of Lena was unnecessary.

Santo wasn't really necessary, IMO, other than the usual interview as a witness and to add a bit of mystery that Gregory may have done something. I never thought so

I'm wondering why this was classified as psychological literary fiction, thriller, or suspense, as I felt There was none. There was some mystery -- Why couldn't she be found? Did something happen to her? Did someone take her?
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I finished it too!
 
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