Gap Creek The Story of a Marriage by Robert Morgan

Julie Harmon became her father's "son" when her little brother died. Living in the Appalachian hill country of North Carolina, her life is hard and she works hard, butchering, cutting wood, attends the dying. Her father succumbs to tuberculosis and the women are left to farm and tend the place. Hank Richards passes by Julie and her mother (who are sawing up a downed tree) and vows to have Julie for his wife. Within a month they are married and move to Gap Creek to live with a widower, Mr. Pendergast, who wants Julie to "housekeep" for him for the rent. Hank goes to work in a sawmill. Julie and Hank begin their life as husband and wife, and it is not easier, Ma Richards is not easy to get along with, and Hank becomes moody and angers easily when he loses his job. Thus, the scene is set for a winter of hardship in the Gap and the strains that are put on Julie adjusting to her life as a wife, daughter-in-law, and housekeeper. It is hard to know where to stop, this story is so intense. I found it to be a good though unsettling read. Sandy Penton.