The Four Winds

Kristin Hannah says “I'll see your pandemic with your I-can't-go-to-my-favorite-restaurant whining and raise you one Dust Bowl Depression. That's some real suffering, bitches.” I have to admit that as I read the saga of Elsa and her daughter Loreda (plus a son, but he's not important) confronting black dust storms, failing crops, crossing the desert in a dilapidated pickup truck, prejudice against “Okies,” hunger, floods, and greedy landowners - well let's just say that I felt a little guilty complaining about the inconveniences of staying well-fed in my nice warm house for the past (gulp) year. Hannah also shows that the fear and prejudice faced by “others” hasn't changed much in the past hundred years or so, which is always a necessary reminder. And the nominal hero is a Communist labor organizer who rails about the evils of capitalism! Fuck yeah! Women's Fiction goes radical! While I applaud Hannah's intentions, the execution was just a tad lacking. Elsa felt more like an archetype or a Dorothea Lange photograph come to life than a real person - a sickly, emotionally neglected woman who finds reserves of strength she never dreamed she had. Loreda is a moody adolescent who reads more like a modern teenager than a genuine early twentieth century girl. Their relationship is supposed to be the heart of the novel, and while I admired it, I never completely felt it. And fair warning: this is not a romance, even if there is a bit of a love story (romance readers know the difference). Hannah has come a long way from her start as a romance novelist, and a happy ending for all is not guaranteed. I'm sure this will be a bestseller, and the theme of enduring hard times is certainly relevant in 2021. It's not an easy read emotionally, but especially for those who don't know anything about this chapter in American history it is worth the effort. FYI, if you want to know more about the Dust Bowl, read Timothy Egan's [b:The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl 40961608 The Worst Hard Time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl Timothy Egan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532715955l/40961608.SX50.jpg 3222858], one of the best pieces of non-fiction I have ever encountered. And if you don't know who Dorothea Lange is, google her haunting photographs.