Starwallow

Distilled by travel, questions of home gallop like a mare on spring grass through the second novel in The Riven Country series. STARWALLOW is set (mostly) in contemporary Wyoming. It opens with herbal simpler Senga Munro winding an old French clock as her lover makes photographs. They are collaborators on a series he names "Intuitive Portraits." After suffering self-blame for decades after the death of her daughter, will Senga at last permit a sense of belonging? when cherishing one's soul ceases to be academic and becomes truth? Meanwhile, the Berry place outlaws evade capture and return to their back-country hide-out for stashed funds. One of them, Dale (who earned Senga's scorn in Book One), wants to keep his little brother out of jail and they flee on their own. Circumstances demand Senga's compassion and help. She travels to Italy with her neighbor, Gabe Belizaire, to meet his fiance's family, and to reunite with a long-lost relative. Senga's Nonna hears whispers on the wind and consults angels, disguised as elegant windows. Gabe embraces the happiness of being loved for himself and for whom he loves. On the flight home, a starry event in the night sky brings the "root digger" a crucial insight. Senga sees what others can't. A heartbeat of magic realism pulses through Europe and Indian Country. "We may let go of everything but our own hearts," Senga records in her journal, once home again at Starwallow.