Mind Games

Nora Roberts anchors Mind Games in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky, a fictional community that draws deeply on Appalachian cultural traditions. The Appalachian region, which spans 13 states from New York to Mississippi, encompasses over 200,000 square miles of diverse terrain, ranging from metropolitan centers like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to isolated mountain hollows. While the region defies easy categorization, its rural communities share distinctive patterns of self-reliance, mutual aid, and suspicion toward outside authority rooted in centuries of settlement by people from Scotland and Ireland. In an article about Appalachian culture, Tim Carmichael addresses the importance of community: “Appalachian culture […] is a way of life shaped by the creativity and resourcefulness of the people who live here. From food to music, community to self-sufficiency, the spirit of Appalachia has deeply influenced who I am and how I see the world” (Carmichael, Tim. “What Defines Appalachian Culture: A Legacy of Strength, Community, and Tradition.” Echoes of Appalachia, 10 Dec. 2024). Lucy Lannigan embodies these enduring Appalachian values. She trades herbal remedies for moonshine, bakes for neighbors, and operates within a bartering economy that prioritizes relationships over cash transactions. Her approach to commerce reflects traditional subsistence practices wherein community members exchange goods and services based on trust and ongoing reciprocity rather than formal contracts.