Heartwood

“Any woodsman who says he’s never been lost in the woods is a liar.”

The theme of Nature as Both Sanctuary and Adversary is central to the novel. Various characters use the woods to withdraw and reflect, noting that there is a clarity that descends upon an individual in nature that is not possible to achieve in the city. Nevertheless, dangers also lurk in the wilderness—even, as this passage observes, for those with significant experience outdoors. It is easy to become lost, and Valerie’s experiences speak to the difficulty of surviving in the backcountry alone.

“They don’t want fat people to hike, but they also don’t want poor people to hike.”

Santo is aware of the prejudice that exists within outdoors communities. As a Black hiker from an under-resourced community, he knows that he does not have the same background as most of the people he meets on the trails. His character helps the book engage with race, class, and privilege while also showing what inclusivity looks like: He and Bev became close friends and developed a meaningful bond despite their differences.

“Lena knew that without books there was nothing but time.”

Lena’s intellect and love of reading and learning are key to her characterization. She has always been an avid reader, a habit that has sustained her throughout a largely solitary life. Despite the above reflection, however, she does form bonds: She has a couple close friends who share her interest in plants and foraging and who help give meaning to her life.

“She doesn’t love me anymore.”

Gregory is a complex character whose mysterious nature contributes to the novel’s suspense. Many people suspect him of having harmed Valerie, and his erratic, often combative behavior does not help his case. When he admits that Valerie no longer has romantic feelings for him, he begins sobbing, and Tanya is sure that she is about to get a confession from him; however, he admits to nothing. More is revealed about Gregory and his relationship with Valerie as the novel progresses: A full picture of who he is and what their marriage was like does not emerge until the novel’s conclusion.

“I refuse to be sentimental about my own starvation. I know that a person can survive for weeks without food as long as they have water.”

Resilience in the face of adversity and survival against the odds are key themes within the novel, and Valerie demonstrates her survival skills as the narrative progresses. Here, she rations her food and tries to remain calm.

“What a sweet person Sparrow is, such an angelic, unforgettable lady.”

Valerie’s kind, caring personality is a key aspect of her characterization. She is empathetic both at work and in her personal life, and when talking to law enforcement, everyone she met along the trail describes how sweet she is. Her kindness became her undoing when she followed Daniel into the woods, but it also saved her, as he responded positively to her warmth, ultimately giving her back her pack.

“Plants are touching underground, through their root systems. They are highly connected.”

Lena’s scientific mind and interest in plants are the source of much indirect characterization, as her knowledge of the natural world guides her reflections on her own life. Although Lena struggles socially, she does crave human connection, especially with her estranged daughter. Here, her observations about the connectivity of plants nod toward the interconnected nature of human life, implying that even if Lena spends much of her time alone, she remains connected to those around her through their shared humanity.

“She didn’t like people, so how could she be lonely for them?”

Lena is solitary by nature and mostly uninterested in traditional relationships. Much of her world takes place in her mind. She is intellectually curious, active in her pursuit of knowledge, and willing to take time to notice small details that others overlook. As a character, she is defined in large part by this introversion and is often depicted at odds with those around her.

“She’s starving. That is, if she’s lucky enough to be alive, she’s starving.”

Bev is driven and work oriented, in part because of how important search and rescue is. She understands that the stakes of the search are incredibly high, and as the days go by without any clues as to Valerie’s whereabouts, tension mounts. Bev devotes the entirety of her energy to the search, even ignoring pressing family matters like the decision about her mother’s do-not-resuscitate order; even her moments of self-reflection stem from her analysis of Valerie’s case and what she learns about her.

“It strikes me that as the search drags on and the chances of success worsen, Janet Gillis seems to find fresh strength.”

Valerie is not this novel’s only resilient character. Her mother displays strength throughout the search for her missing daughter, refusing to give up and remaining focused on the chances of finding Valerie alive. Bev is sure that Valerie’s strength is an inherited trait and admires both women.

“Lena had considered herself vigilant, constantly scanning the horizon for potential threats to Christine, to her body, mind, or heart. How did so much effort lead so disastrously to him?”

The Complexity of Mother-Daughter Bonds is one of this novel’s key themes. All of its female characters struggle in some way in their relationships with their mothers or daughters. Lena is estranged from her daughter and notes here that although she tried her best to protect Christine, she was ultimately unable to keep her from a marriage that Lena saw as a catastrophic mistake.

“In 1992 when I entered the Maine State Game Warden Service, I entered a world of men.”

The gender politics of Bev’s job have always impacted her. Even though she is just as skilled and capable as her male colleagues, law enforcement is a male-dominated world, and Bev must prove herself over and over. She knows that her friends and family do not entirely understand her choice to be a game warden, and the job is not without difficulty, but she is driven and work oriented. She loves her career despite its drawbacks.

“Lena’s mother grew old, promiscuous, forgetful, but she was loyal to Lena until the day she died.”

Lena struggles in her relationship with her daughter, but she also had a fraught relationship with her mother. Lena’s mother was devoted but emotionally unprepared for motherhood in ways that impacted their bond. Impregnated by her priest and then abandoned by her husband, Lena’s mother raised her child alone. Lena remembers an absence of love but knows that her mother did the best that she could with limited resources and no support.

“I wanted to tell all my people, my Bronx people, ‘The woods are ours too! The woods are everybody’s!’”

Through Santo’s character, the novel engages with contemporary discourse surrounding race, class, and the outdoors. Santo’s cry that the “woods are everybody’s” echoes sentiments expressed both by those within outdoors communities seeking to diversify their membership and by activists seeking to draw attention to racial and economic disparities in those spaces. More broadly, his words speak to the centrality of nature in human life, which is part of what gives those disparities their sting.

“Lena believes both TerribleSilence and Valerie Gillis to be in grave danger, yet there is nothing she can do to help them.”

Nature is both a space of refuge and reflection and the site of possible danger in the novel. Valerie undertook her hike to retreat into the wilderness, free herself from people, and think about her life, but she discovered unseen dangers lying in wait for her. There is a tension between these two ways of looking at the natural world, and even during the worst days of Valerie’s hike, she finds small moments in which to admire the beauty of the woods surrounding her.

“I figure that since I’m tough, I can just go on being tough.”

Bev has a successful career in a field that remains male dominated. She attributes some of that success to her strength of character, her willingness to work harder than anyone around her, and her resilience in the face of prejudice. The difficult conditions of her day-to-day working life do not hinder her: Rather, they make her stronger.

“The extravagance of creation is what motivated Lena’s entire life of study.”

Lena’s interest in foraging is rooted in her appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the natural world. This love for nature became the basis for her few meaningful friendships, underscoring the ways in which humanity and nature are intertwined.

“Her spirit doesn’t want me here anymore. Her spirit wants me to be free.”

Gregory’s decision to leave the search site so that he can go home and hold a memorial for Valerie puzzles the entire search team, who believe that Valerie might still be found alive. Gregory’s decision reflects his complexity as a character and the unorthodox nature of his relationship with Valerie: They refrain from using the word “spouse” to describe each other, seem poised to divorce but remain friends, and generally eschew normative marriage. Gregory’s eccentricity makes him an early suspect, but ultimately, the search team realizes that Gregory is harmless and would not have hurt Valerie.

“There were days on the trail when I thought I could walk forever. On such days, my mind was quiet.”

The wilderness functions as both a site of potential danger and a sanctuary in this novel. Here, Valerie notes the peace that she found in the solitude of her hike. She began the trek looking for clarity and a sense of accomplishment, and even after the extreme difficulties she faced, she remembers it as an opportunity for reflection and a catalyst for change.

“The sorrow of human life is that we feel. That’s our affliction.”

Lena does her best to remain objective and scientific, yet she ultimately realizes that it is impossible to emotionally remove oneself from life. Despite her attempt to distance herself from those around her to avoid sorrow, she does have an affective relationship with her friends and family. Ultimately, she must confront her own feelings in order to heal.

“Mom had a hard life, losing dad and everything.”

Bev and her sisters had a difficult relationship with their mother. She was ill-prepared for widowhood and left much of the parenting to Bev. Her use of pills and alcohol also adversely impacted the girls, and as adults, they are still coming to terms with their childhood. Nevertheless, Bev shows empathy and understanding in her assessment of their mother. She recognizes how difficult it must have been to lose her husband and no longer blames her mother for her failings.

“Perhaps the most shocking thing out of everything was that her online life was an illusion, that she provided the clue that brought Valerie Gillis home alive, that she loves Warren, that she has a grandson.”

Lena’s character arc centers on self-discovery and acceptance. Although she is an introvert and believes that she is someone who does not need human connection, she ultimately realizes that she has always kept a few people close because she does actually value meaningful relationships. She ends the novel closer to Warren and her grandson, as well as open to the idea of friendship with her peers.

“Lena doesn’t get Christine, but she does get Austin.”

By the time Lena is able to reach out to Christine, it is too late: Christine is unwilling to rekindle a relationship with her mother. However, she is willing to let Lena spend time with Austin, and Lena does her best to provide love and support and be the kind of caregiver that a child needs. She cannot undo the past or erase the damage that she did to Christine, but she can show her daughter, through Austin, that she now realizes her mistake and better understands what a mother’s love should look like.