- Date Published:
April, 2025 - Length:
320 pages—Listening Time: 8 hr 45 minutes - Genre:
Literary Fiction, General Fiction - Setting:
Present day, after pandemic closures, Maine, specifically along the Appalachian Trail - Awards:
"Read with Jenna" Book Club Pick, April, 2025 - Languages:
English - Sensitive Aspects:
Abduction and captivity, mental health and isolation, physical and psychological deterioration, depictions of violence and survival - Movie:
There's no news of a film adaptation in progress. - Recommended for Book Club:
Yes
When Nature Meets the Heart:
A Journey Through Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Picture this: Valerie Gillis, a 42-year-old nurse still reeling from the pandemic's brutal devastation, decides to hike the Appalachian Trail. She's only 200 miles from finishing her incredible adventure when she unexpectedly disappears in the Maine wilderness. But don't get too comfortable with this plotline. Heartwood by Amity Gaige isn't your typical "woman goes missing in the woods" thriller. Instead, Gaige brings together three very different women whose lives connect in surprising ways.
Along with Valerie, we meet Lieutenant Bev Miller, a seasoned game warden who leads the search while juggling her own family drama. Then there's Lena Kucharski, a 76-year-old retired scientist, who obsessively follows the case from her wheelchair in a Connecticut retirement community. And threading through it all are Valerie's own words—journal entries written as "love letters" to her mother that become increasingly desperate as her situation deteriorates.
Gaige has this gift for language that makes you want to underline half the book. The title itself comes from one of Valerie's most beautiful passages:
"Sometimes, in your lap, I would press my hand against your chest so that I could feel the center of you—your heartwood, your innermost substance, like the core of a tree that keeps it standing."
This metaphor of heartwood—the essential core that keeps us upright—runs through every character's story.
But here's what I liked best: Gaige doesn't just tell you about these people; she helps you feel their inner worlds. She conveys Valerie's pandemic anguish brilliantly through her hiking experience, drawing connections between getting lost in the mountains and the isolation we all felt during COVID. It's the kind of writing that makes you nod in recognition, even when you've never set foot on a trail.
What really got to me was how this book explores mother-daughter relationships. Every single woman in this story is grappling with that fundamental bond in some way—Valerie longing for connection with her mother, Bev dealing with family expectations about her "manly" career, and Lena estranged from her daughter. It's like Gaige took all the complicated feelings we have about the women who raised us (or didn't) and threaded them through this survival story.
I'll be honest—there were moments where Valerie's voice felt a bit too polished for someone supposedly starving and desperate in the woods. Occasionally her journal entries read more like a writing workshop exercise than the thoughts of someone in genuine crisis. And while the mystery resolves, it's not the strongest part of the book. I was so invested in these women's emotional journeys that the mystery felt secondary.
This book succeeds because Gaige understands that the most captivating survival stories aren't just about battling the elements—they're about battling what's inside us. The Maine wilderness becomes a character itself, but it's really a backdrop for exploring resilience, connection, and what keeps us standing when everything falls apart.
The audiobook features a full cast of six narrators, bringing these distinct voices to life beautifully. There's something about hearing different actors embody these women that is perfect for this story. It worked for me.
If you're drawn to stories about women finding strength in unexpected places, or if you've ever wondered what drives someone to walk 2,000 miles through the wilderness, this book will speak to you. It left me with what one reviewer perfectly described as "such an overriding feeling of hope"—and in our current world, that feels like exactly what we need.
Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a novel about 42-year-old Valerie Gillis, an experienced hiker who mysteriously disappears while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine, just 200 miles from her final destination. As a search and rescue operation battles against time to locate Valerie in the challenging terrain of Maine's North Woods, the story unfolds.
The novel is structured through multiple perspectives and narrative formats, including transcripts from tip-line voicemails, interviews, and three distinct points of view. The primary narrators are:
Valerie Gillis (trail name: Sparrow), whose story is told through increasingly desperate journal entries written as "love letters" to her mother, Janet, as she battles the elements while lost in the wilderness. As a nurse who worked during the COVID pandemic, she chronicles her deteriorating physical and mental state as days pass without rescue.
Lieutenant Bev Miller, a seasoned Maine State Game Warden, leads the search operation. She's the first woman to achieve such a rank and feels pressure to prove herself professionally while dealing with her own complicated relationship with her mother.
Lena Kucharski, a 76-year-old retired scientist in a wheelchair living in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes obsessed with following Valerie's case online and turns into an unexpected armchair detective. She's estranged from her own daughter, and her involvement in the case seems to fill a maternal void.
The story also features Ruben Serrano (trail name: Santo), a Dominican American hiker who befriends Valerie, providing levity while subtly critiquing the predominantly white culture of long-distance hiking.
Gaige was inspired by the real-life case of Gerry Largay, a nurse who disappeared and died while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine in 2013. The novel maintains suspense until the end, as readers learn details about Valerie that the search team never discovers, with her ultimate fate revealed only in the final chapters.
This book explores themes of human vulnerability, resilience, survival, and the enduring bonds between mothers and daughters, set against the backdrop of Maine's unforgiving wilderness.
There are several compelling reasons to read Heartwood by Amity Gaige, particularly if you're drawn to thoughtful literary suspense that combines outdoor adventure with deep emotional exploration.
Masterful Storytelling and Writing
Critics consistently praise Gaige's prose for its beauty and engagement. The novel showcases her skill at "blending literary suspense with genuine emotion," creating a reading experience that's both thrilling and emotionally resonant. Critics note her "lyrical intensity that captures both desperation and wonder," particularly in the sections narrated by the missing hiker, Valerie.
Innovative Narrative Structure
The book employs a multi-perspective format that includes traditional narration alongside transcripts from tip-line voicemails, interviews, and other documents. This mixed-media approach lends realistic urgency to the investigation. The story unfolds through three distinct viewpoints: a seasoned game warden leading the search, a 76-year-old retired scientist following the case online, and the missing hiker herself through letters to her mother.
Rich Thematic Depth
Heartwood goes far beyond a simple missing-person story. The novel explores several interconnected themes that give it lasting resonance:
- Mother-daughter relationships: Each protagonist grapples with complex maternal bonds, from Valerie writing to her mother to other characters dealing with dying mothers or estrangement from daughters.
- Survival and resilience: Both literal wilderness survival and metaphorical survival of grief, isolation, and searching for purpose.
- Identity and belonging: Questions about what makes a life meaningful and where one truly belongs.
Authentic Wilderness and Search-and-Rescue Elements
If you're fascinated by hiking culture or outdoor adventure, Gaige provides authentic details about the Appalachian Trail experience and search-and-rescue operations. The novel was inspired by a real tragedy involving a 66-year-old woman lost on the Appalachian Trail, and reviewers praise Gaige's accurate portrayal of Maine State Game Wardens and trail culture.
Emotional Impact and Hope
Despite dealing with disappearance and potential tragedy, readers consistently describe feeling an overriding sense of hope after finishing the book. Valerie's journey of self-discovery through her wilderness ordeal has moved many reviewers (myself included) to tears.
Critical Acclaim and Recognition
The book has received significant recognition, including selection as a Read with Jenna Book Club pick, which often indicates broad appeal and literary merit. Critics describe it as "gorgeous" and "unputdownable" and praise it as potentially Gaige's breakthrough work that will finally bring her the attention and broad readership she deserves.
If you enjoy literary fiction that combines suspense with psychological depth, outdoor adventure with intimate character study, or stories that explore complex family relationships while maintaining page-turning momentum, Heartwood offers all of these elements woven together with exceptional skill.
Get Amity Gaige Books
Amity Gaige is the award-winning author of five novels, including Schroder, Sea Wife, and most recently Heartwood (2025), who has been recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship and teaches creative writing at Yale University, with her work praised for its exploration of family dynamics, identity, and psychological complexity.
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These recommendations span wilderness survival narratives, literary mysteries, nature writing, and character-driven stories that examine complex family relationships—all themes that make Heartwood such a compelling read.
Recommended by the Author Herself
Amity Gaige personally recommended these books for readers who enjoyed Heartwood:
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
This sequel to Moore's acclaimed Long Bright River explores a summer camp disappearance and contrasts the worlds of the privileged and less fortunate. Like Heartwood, it combines literary themes with thriller elements. - The Appeal by Janice Hallett
Similar to Heartwood, this novel interweaves literary themes with serious subjects and thrilling elements. The novel focuses on community theater leaders who initiate a fundraiser for their grandchild's cancer treatment, only to discover a body backstage. - The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Like Heartwood, this is a survival story following a servant girl who escapes her 17th-century home as she struggles to survive in the wilderness. - Wild by Cheryl Strayed
This iconic memoir recounts Strayed's journey along the Pacific Crest Trail following personal challenges, sharing Heartwood's themes of wilderness survival and self-discovery.
Similar Nature and Literary Fiction
- North Woods by Daniel Mason
A gorgeously written, genre-blending novel that focuses more on place than people, perfect for fans of literary fiction and nature writing. - The Overstory by Richard Powers
Readers of environmental literary fiction will find this beautifully written epic about trees, people, and our relationship with nature appealing. - Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Features detailed exploration of natural settings in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains with vivid environmental descriptions, similar to how Valerie in Heartwood becomes attuned to nature while lost.
Contemporary Literary Thrillers
- Miracle Creek and Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
These novels are specifically recommended for Heartwood fans due to their combination of mystery, character exploration, and family dynamics. - A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
The novel explores themes of delving into family mysteries, akin to the storyline of the missing person in Heartwood.
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