The story begins when Finch is eight years old and you learn of how Finch is quite a capable young girl. She has never known any life before this one where they live in the Appalachian Mountains. They prepare for winter and stock food in the root cellar. Once a year Cooper's friend Jake arrives with loads of supplies. Cooper and Finch look forward to that time not just for the supplies but the friendship with Jake.
This is a slow start but I loved all the revelations about Finch's mother, Jake and Cooper's back stories and the reason this father and daughter live in isolation. Cooper is basically a very good man but circumstances drove him to choose the situation he's in and things are about to take a turn for the worse.
Love, friendship, choices, redemption are themes in this book. I was very invested with the characters and how things played out.
