A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes

This was a delightful book.

I first heard about it from the NextReads email list. It was described as being about a young couple who leave everything they know to move to a small town in Idaho in the 1960's and buy a farm.

The book certainly starts there and details their difficulty in adapting to the new surroundings and some of the people in the town whom they meet and employ. Through a series of flashbacks, the couple's meeting and courtship is described as well. The second half of the book is the story of their daughter who grows up on the farm too.

I enjoyed reading this book for several reasons. First, the writing was spectacular. It was descriptive but not boring; the characters were complex and dynamic; the plot was at times surprising but never far-fetched. Another reason I found this book so good was that there were several incidents and family secrets that held significance throughout the length of the book. I liked how the author illustrated how a few events and choices made when the characters were young haunted/impacted them throughout their lives. Finally, I appreciated the story itself - one of sadness and of redemption for different characters in different ways.

Definitely recommended.