Laurentian Divide - Sarah Stonich - 4 stars

[Robin P]

This author bases all her books in northern Minnesota and the sense of place and culture is very strong. I listened to the audiobook, which captured the accent and style very well. I almost gave up in the middle because the backstories of the characters contained plenty of misery - alcoholism, abuse, car accidents, aging and grieving. But ultimately, the story is encouraging with a very Midwestern ending - nothing earthshaking, but dramatic for the local community.

Some of the characters appeared in the earlier book Vacationland, which I had read, but it was a while ago. I didn't remember them and it turned out it didn't matter.