Light to the Hills: A Novel

Set in 1930s Kentucky Appalachia during the Great Depression, this novel follows Amanda Rye, a widowed mother and traveling packhaser librarian who arrives in a struggling mountain community. The region's residents depend on coal mining and subsistence living to survive. Amanda becomes close to the MacInteer family, particularly Rai, her quick-study daughter Sass, and Finn, the eldest son. The family reminds Amanda of her own childhood and her parents, from whom she has become estranged. As Amanda's connection with the MacInteers deepens, she reveals a dangerous secret from her past. When this secret resurfaces, it threatens all their lives in unexpected ways. The four must unite as the truth emerges, leading them toward survival, mountain justice, forgiveness, and hope. The novel explores family bonds, the power of words, and the resilience of mothers and daughters.