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In the Fields of Fatherless Children
For readers of Jeannette Walls and Barbara Kingsolver, in this love story set in rural Appalachia during the Vietnam War, a young couple is torn apart by both global conflict and their families’ ancient feud
In late 1960s Appalachia, many things loom darkly over June the Vietnam War is dividing the country, and a strip mine is eating away the mountain at the head of the holler where she lives, threatening the natural landscape and the only way of life she has ever known. While still in high school, June has fallen in love. She is pregnant, and the father may be Ellis Akers. Ellis is the son of Solomon, a mortal enemy of June’s stepfather, Isom. The feud is so old it fuels two vengeful men with the power of long animosity between rival families.
June’s brother, Tom, leaves to enlist in the war, and so does Ellis. Suddenly, June is on her own, at sixteen with a newborn, and is a mother unable to protect her daughter from the wrath of Isom. Without warning, her baby is kidnapped. Guided by her love for the generations of women before her, but now desperately alone, June must carefully navigate the search for her child alongside family and strangers in a wild and disappearing landscape.
In the Fields of the Fatherless Children is a powerful story of love and perseverance, masterfully told by a writer of exquisite care who knows intimately the rural people of this time and place.
In late 1960s Appalachia, many things loom darkly over June the Vietnam War is dividing the country, and a strip mine is eating away the mountain at the head of the holler where she lives, threatening the natural landscape and the only way of life she has ever known. While still in high school, June has fallen in love. She is pregnant, and the father may be Ellis Akers. Ellis is the son of Solomon, a mortal enemy of June’s stepfather, Isom. The feud is so old it fuels two vengeful men with the power of long animosity between rival families.
June’s brother, Tom, leaves to enlist in the war, and so does Ellis. Suddenly, June is on her own, at sixteen with a newborn, and is a mother unable to protect her daughter from the wrath of Isom. Without warning, her baby is kidnapped. Guided by her love for the generations of women before her, but now desperately alone, June must carefully navigate the search for her child alongside family and strangers in a wild and disappearing landscape.
In the Fields of the Fatherless Children is a powerful story of love and perseverance, masterfully told by a writer of exquisite care who knows intimately the rural people of this time and place.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 24, 2026
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About the author
Pamela Steele
3 books24 followersPamela Steele is the author of Paper Bird (Wordcraft of Oregon, 2007), her first full-length collection of poetry, and Greasewood Creek, (Counterpoint, 2011) a novel. She earned an MFA from Spalding University in Louisville, KY and is a Fishtrap fellow, a recipient of the Kentucky Writers Coalition's Jim Wayne Miller Prize and the James Scarbrough Memorial Poetry Award. In the summer of 2007, Pamela was awarded a Jentel Artists Residency. She lives in Echo, Oregon.
PLEASE NOTE: My published works are Greasewood Creek, Paper Bird, and the forthcoming In the Fields of Fatherless Children (Counterpoint 2026). Any other books listed under my name are NOT my work. I've contacted Goodreads to have the erroneous listings removed but have been unsuccessful. Thanks!
PLEASE NOTE: My published works are Greasewood Creek, Paper Bird, and the forthcoming In the Fields of Fatherless Children (Counterpoint 2026). Any other books listed under my name are NOT my work. I've contacted Goodreads to have the erroneous listings removed but have been unsuccessful. Thanks!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A stark and beautifully rendered Appalachian story of resilience, loss, and survival.
Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you. (Proverbs 23:10–11, ESV)
Set in 1960s Appalachian mining country, In the Field of Fatherless Children follows sixteen-year-old June Branham as she navigates a life shaped by poverty, family conflict, and the looming shadow of the Vietnam War. Pregnant and uncertain who the father of her child is - the boy she loves or the man who assaulted her - June is already facing impossible circumstances when both her brother and the boy she cares for leave for war. Left behind in a community defined by hardship and long-standing feuds, she must find a way to survive on her own. But when her newborn daughter is taken from her, June's story shifts into a journey shaped by grief, determination, and the enduring strength of women in the face of overwhelming odds.
Like many novels set in this region, this is not a light read. The poverty, violence, and generational trauma woven throughout the story are often heartbreaking, but they also lend the narrative a sense of authenticity and weight. Pamela Steele paints a vivid and often unflinching portrait of life in this time and place. The Appalachian setting is rendered in stark, sometimes brutal detail - strip mining scars the land, heavy rains bring disaster, and entire communities feel as though they are slowly being swallowed whole. Steele writes with an innate understanding of both that landscape and the people shaped by it.
At the center of it all is June, a character defined by her resilience. She is forced to make impossible choices at a young age, and her determination to endure - despite the forces working against her -anchors the novel. Her strength, survival, and quiet defiance run counter to the harshness surrounding her.
The novel is not without its uneven elements - in particular, a recurring perspective from June's deceased grandmother, which adds a more overtly mystical layer to the story, and one that feels somewhat at odds with the otherwise grounded narrative. As a result, those sections can feel distracting and somewhat unnecessary, particularly as they fade from the narrative without clear resolution.
The audiobook, narrated by Eleanor Caudill, is a standout. Caudill brings a grounded, emotionally resonant performance to June's story, capturing both her vulnerability and her strength. Her narration enhances the sense of place and lends added depth to the characters.
Stark, somber, and beautifully rendered, In the Field of Fatherless Children explores hardship, resilience, and the enduring strength of women in a deeply unforgiving landscape. The novel's emotional core and its portrayal of survival against the odds make it a powerful and memorable read.
Many thanks to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
"In the Field of Fatherless Children" is slated to be released on March 24, 2026.
Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you. (Proverbs 23:10–11, ESV)
Set in 1960s Appalachian mining country, In the Field of Fatherless Children follows sixteen-year-old June Branham as she navigates a life shaped by poverty, family conflict, and the looming shadow of the Vietnam War. Pregnant and uncertain who the father of her child is - the boy she loves or the man who assaulted her - June is already facing impossible circumstances when both her brother and the boy she cares for leave for war. Left behind in a community defined by hardship and long-standing feuds, she must find a way to survive on her own. But when her newborn daughter is taken from her, June's story shifts into a journey shaped by grief, determination, and the enduring strength of women in the face of overwhelming odds.
Like many novels set in this region, this is not a light read. The poverty, violence, and generational trauma woven throughout the story are often heartbreaking, but they also lend the narrative a sense of authenticity and weight. Pamela Steele paints a vivid and often unflinching portrait of life in this time and place. The Appalachian setting is rendered in stark, sometimes brutal detail - strip mining scars the land, heavy rains bring disaster, and entire communities feel as though they are slowly being swallowed whole. Steele writes with an innate understanding of both that landscape and the people shaped by it.
At the center of it all is June, a character defined by her resilience. She is forced to make impossible choices at a young age, and her determination to endure - despite the forces working against her -anchors the novel. Her strength, survival, and quiet defiance run counter to the harshness surrounding her.
The novel is not without its uneven elements - in particular, a recurring perspective from June's deceased grandmother, which adds a more overtly mystical layer to the story, and one that feels somewhat at odds with the otherwise grounded narrative. As a result, those sections can feel distracting and somewhat unnecessary, particularly as they fade from the narrative without clear resolution.
The audiobook, narrated by Eleanor Caudill, is a standout. Caudill brings a grounded, emotionally resonant performance to June's story, capturing both her vulnerability and her strength. Her narration enhances the sense of place and lends added depth to the characters.
Stark, somber, and beautifully rendered, In the Field of Fatherless Children explores hardship, resilience, and the enduring strength of women in a deeply unforgiving landscape. The novel's emotional core and its portrayal of survival against the odds make it a powerful and memorable read.
Many thanks to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
"In the Field of Fatherless Children" is slated to be released on March 24, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a finely crafted novel set in 1960s Appalachian mining country. Like others set in this part of the country, I’m always in a saddened state when done. The poverty, misery and abuse that fall between the pages of these stories are heartbreaking and heart wrenching but make for some of the most insightful stories written. Such is this book.
Sixteen year old June Branham is pregnant, unsure who the father is - raped by one and loved by another. June’s brother, Tom, and June’s love, Ellis, are off to Vietnam. Her stepfather, Isom, hates Ellis for his mixed blood (but mostly because June’s mother, Bethel, had an affair with Ellis’s father. June struggles with the pregnancy and when Isom kidnaps her daughter, Grace, June is faced with dangerous choices.
The depictions in the book of the landscape of strip mining is dark. Rains make the overworked land collapse. Houses are swallowed up by floods. It’s pretty grim.
I liked June and the narrator, Granny Justice. June epitomizes the resilience and fortitude needed to survive in this landscape and time. The women in the novel are the strength - it’s never a surprise to see this in novels especially in times when people want to wipe out our contributions. Women can’t be vanquished.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Counterpoint Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.
Sixteen year old June Branham is pregnant, unsure who the father is - raped by one and loved by another. June’s brother, Tom, and June’s love, Ellis, are off to Vietnam. Her stepfather, Isom, hates Ellis for his mixed blood (but mostly because June’s mother, Bethel, had an affair with Ellis’s father. June struggles with the pregnancy and when Isom kidnaps her daughter, Grace, June is faced with dangerous choices.
The depictions in the book of the landscape of strip mining is dark. Rains make the overworked land collapse. Houses are swallowed up by floods. It’s pretty grim.
I liked June and the narrator, Granny Justice. June epitomizes the resilience and fortitude needed to survive in this landscape and time. The women in the novel are the strength - it’s never a surprise to see this in novels especially in times when people want to wipe out our contributions. Women can’t be vanquished.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Counterpoint Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There’s no question that Pamela Steele is a talented writer—her prose is often beautiful, evocative, and clearly doing a lot of heavy lifting. Unfortunately, for me, it had to do too much.
I’ve loved plenty of books that are light on plot and more interested in character sketches or atmosphere, so that in itself isn’t a drawback. But this never quite came together in a satisfying way. The narrative felt uneven, with some threads more developed than others, and long stretches where the story seemed to stall rather than deepen.
The ghostly grandmother perspective, in particular, felt like an odd fit. I understand what it was aiming for—a kind of mythic, generational lens—but it pulled me out of the story more than it added to it.
I found myself close to not finishing, which is always telling. I’m rounding up to three stars because the writing itself is undeniably strong, but overall this one didn’t fully work for me.
I’ve loved plenty of books that are light on plot and more interested in character sketches or atmosphere, so that in itself isn’t a drawback. But this never quite came together in a satisfying way. The narrative felt uneven, with some threads more developed than others, and long stretches where the story seemed to stall rather than deepen.
The ghostly grandmother perspective, in particular, felt like an odd fit. I understand what it was aiming for—a kind of mythic, generational lens—but it pulled me out of the story more than it added to it.
I found myself close to not finishing, which is always telling. I’m rounding up to three stars because the writing itself is undeniably strong, but overall this one didn’t fully work for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
This was a well narrated, slow burn story set in early 1960s Appalachia with an unexpected pregnancy and Vietnam enlistment driving events. There are generational traumas and grudges running through the past and present. June is just 16 and not sure if the father of her child is her boyfriend or her rapist. When her boyfriend is deployed to Vietnam and her stepfather kidnaps her daughter, June is left with no good choices. The deck always seems to be stacked against many in that area but sometimes you have to make a way out of no way.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the free advance audio copy
This was a well narrated, slow burn story set in early 1960s Appalachia with an unexpected pregnancy and Vietnam enlistment driving events. There are generational traumas and grudges running through the past and present. June is just 16 and not sure if the father of her child is her boyfriend or her rapist. When her boyfriend is deployed to Vietnam and her stepfather kidnaps her daughter, June is left with no good choices. The deck always seems to be stacked against many in that area but sometimes you have to make a way out of no way.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the free advance audio copy
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Both epic and claustrophobic, this is an atmospheric tale of 1960s Appalachia narrated by a ghost, the grandmother of June, the teen whose pregnancy is at its heart. June doesn't know whether the father of her daughter Grace is her love or the man who assaulted her. And then there's her vicious stepfather, a kidnapping, and an ages long feud. Oh, and Vietnam, the coal fields, and natural disaster. This could have tipped over into melodrama but Steele is restrained even as she recounts the darkness. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. It's a slow burn and you might find yourself putting it aside but it's a worthy read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews