FICTION

The Hollow Ground

by Natalie S. Harnett
Thomas Dunne: St. Martin's. May 2014. 336p. ISBN 9781250041982. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466839199. F
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Underground coal mine fires can destroy more than buildings and landscapes. As homes fall into sinkholes, families fall further into poverty and anger. Add crippling family secrets to the mix and you get the world of Brigid Howley. Only 11 years old, Brigid already has experienced the ways love can shrivel up under the burdens of grief and loss. When her family is forced to move in with her paternal grandparents, old memories are stirred. Just as the giant ditches being dug to contain the blazes below the earth are destroying the very countryside they are meant to save, so Brigid's uncovering of long-held secrets tears the family apart and shows a tentative way forward.
VERDICT Brigid is no ordinary hard-luck heroine; her voice rings true, offering a matter-of-fact telling that never falls into self-pity or melodrama. Set against the 1960s Pennsylvania coal mine fires, this debut novel is a dark and rewarding read. [Library marketing.]
Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Davidson Coll. Lib., NC , Apr 01, 2014
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