The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart

The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - Coincidentally, I read this book on the heels of Their Eyes Were Watching God, which also has a turpentine camp during the depression as one of its settings. The turpentine industry was essential to the navy to provide solvent that kept wooden ships watertight. Prior to reading these two books, I was totally unfamiliar with this process. It involved slashing pine trees to obtain their resin, which was shipped off for processing. The work was hard, hot, and the living conditions were poor. The camps were operated on a peonage system, meaning workers were paid in scrip, and perpetually in debt to the company store.
This is the background for the story of Del, Rae and Cornelia. Del comes to the camp after nearly dying in a deliberate corn silo "accident" staged by his employer because he has seduced his wife. Rae comes after her husband dies, and Cornelia is married to the cruel, store owner, Otis. Through a series of circumstances, they help each other survive and escape Swallow Hill.
The author does a good job in bringing both the setting and the characters to life, and I felt like I learned something from the book.

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