What I'm Reading . . . Serena

Serena by Ron Rash is the story of a Northeastern couple who move to the western North Carolina mountains in the Great Depression to make their fortune in timber. The book describes the timber camps' terrible working conditions, and the owners' relentless greed and lack of empathy that eventually causes their own destruction.

Familiar story, hunh?

The book is set in an area of North Carolina where the 500Jerk Spouse has a beloved family farm, so the place names and topography are very familiar to both of us. In fact, I've been fighting off his efforts to nab this book from me.

Serena's so good, though, that he only has to be patient for a day or two more.