The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
A man lives a solitary life tending to his orchards in the Pacific Northwest. It is a quiet life, but one that suits him. One day, while out tending his trees, he spies two young girls. They are feral things not wanting to come too close. He feels sorry for them in their obviously pregnant states and starts to feed them and care for them. This is their story.
This novel is a wonderful character study. Some of the most interesting characters I’ve met lately are in this book. In many ways they style of storytelling is understated but this is also an epic in its sweeping style though it follows very few characters. A story of family, and what that word means and feels like. Friendship, and how far true friends are willing to go to help one another. And hope, and how hope can at once blind a man and make him see.
