When Amy moved out to the country to live with her Aunt Mae, it was an escape. She had needed a change. She had needed to get away from her abusive ex-boyfriend and the mental and physical bruising he had given her. She wanted a new start, something different.
The last thing she could have expected to find was Henry. Though she had all but sworn off boys in an attempt to recover herself and the spirit she thought she had lost, Henry somehow manages to sneak past her defenses. He is everything she needs and so much more than she could have imagined.
But Henry has his own pain. He too is running, running from what the future has in store. In 1944, he prayed that things would go back to the way it had been before everything in his life started deteriorating. And by some miracle, it had worked. His farmhouse, his mother, his grandfather, and Henry are all still in 1944.
When Amy stumbles upon Henry and his home, though, everything starts to change. Amy is a breath of fresh air he could never have imagined. Henry is her safe place. And the two begin to heal each other in ways they never could have anticipated. But things can't always go on the way they have before, sometimes healing means letting go of the hurts that once shackled you and stepping out of your comfort zone.
The Clearing by Heather Davis is a story of healing and dealing with your past. Our first reaction, when something bad happens, is to retreat inside yourself. But that never helps resolve issues. Davis does a wonderful job in portraying how facing your fears can be the best action you could possibly take and that true love can change your life forever.
I found this story both compelling and touching. I was nearly brought to tears on more than one occasion. Davis does a great job at hooking the reader with her tale of fear and love, drawing you in to the point where you must turn the page, you have to know what comes next.
I found Davis's writing technique quite interesting, as well. I don't think I have ever seen an author mix first and third person narrative the way she did and, I might add, she pulled it off quite nicely. The chapters alternate from Amy's first person perspective to Henry's third person perspective and it creates an intriguing dynamic.
This book was well-written and executed wonderfully. I definitely enjoyed the journey and would suggest it to anyone who wants a good and touching story about love and how its healing can transcend even the boundaries of time.
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
"All of us live in pain, Henry. That's the human condition. Some pain you can see from the outside, and some is buried deep on the inside. We all have our crosses to bear."
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