Esil's Reviews > Zorrie

Wow! I so enjoyed Zorrie. And it's hard to describe why because there's not much to the plot and the writing and pacing are so understated. This short novel focuses on Zorrie's life, from beginning to end. It starts just after the depression in Indiana, where Zorrie has lived with a harsh aunt and must quickly figure out how to make her own way in the world. She works briefly in a factory in Illinois, where they use radium to paint clock faces. She then moves back to a farming community in Indiana where she spends the rest of her life living and working on a farm. She has her share of hardship and heartbreak, but also some good relationships and the satisfaction of working hard and making order in her life. There really isn't much to say about the story. Zorrie's strength is the writing. Hunt conveys Zorrie's emotions perfectly with deceptively simple language and without melodrama. By the end, Zorrie felt like a real person -- a distant relative who lived a good but melancholy life. It was hard not to mourn the end of her life as I finished the novel. This was a buddy read with Diane and Angela and we all loved it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy.