FINDING THE GRAIN

In Fifer’s novel, a veteran of the Afghanistan War embarks on the next chapter in her life while recovering from the death of her husband.

Izzy Stark, a former Army soldier, has relocated to the sleepy Colorado town of Whistle Canyon, where her husband, Dave, spent idyllic summer weeks as a child with his uncle. She and Dave were to begin new lives there, but just weeks before he was due to return from Afghanistan, he was killed in a roadside bomb blast. Now Izzy is adrift, suffering the deep psychological scars of combat and overwhelmed by heartache: “The sunsets were reminders that Dave was not coming back. The sunrises brought a fleck of hope that he was. Nothing quite fit. What she wanted slipped through the chilly holes in her.” Meanwhile, Izzy is distraught over the absence of Dave’s wedding ring, which was never returned to her, and is shocked to find his late uncle’s house in disrepair. Izzy, sensing her late husband’s presence there, vows to restore it in his honor. During trips to the hardware store, she meets a cast of warmhearted townsfolk, including furniture-making shop teacher Ben McCully, who suggests his students help her construct a new roof. Izzy soon learns that Ben is also widowed, and a tight bond of friendship develops. Izzy also finds solace in Bix, Dave’s bomb-sniffing dog, whom she receives through an Army program. While improving the house, Izzy slowly rebuilds herself—and her future. But when an old Army friend arrives with boxes of Dave’s belongings and troubling secrets, Izzy is forced to question everything she once believed about her former life. While readers will be moved by the author’s touching prose, and by the aching humanity Fifer has woven into her skillfully crafted characters, some may wish for deeper subtext in the generally straightforward dialogue. Overall, the novel is an intimate and compassionate examination of the complexities of war, marriage, and loss, and it serves as a touching reminder that one can find one’s home—and one’s heart—in the unlikeliest places.

A beautiful, fragile, and raw story of mourning.