All Things Hidden

Starred review from November 11, 2013
Prolific novelist Peterson (The Miner's Lady) and Woodhouse (No Safe Haven) team up on a Depression-era drama set in Alaska. In a time of change, just after the Great Depression, the only constant in the life of Alaskan Gwyn Hillerman is hope. Thanks to President Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Matanuska Valley is opened to thousands of settlers fleeing the difficult conditions in the rest of the U.S. Gwyn and her physician father will be affected by the influx, much to Gwyn’s displeasure. Change is not her friend, yet she gives herself over to God’s plan and grows in ways she never imagined, surprising herself with her strength and the gift of love. The large cast of characters in this multiperspective epic lends depth and richness to the multiple connected storylines; each character is well thought out and developed with his or her own secrets and voice. A lot of story is packed into pages filled with loving, fully researched detail. The novel’s power lies in its deceptive simplicity and clear narrative.

December 1, 2013
In 1935, Alaska is still a wild frontier, largely unexplored by Americans from the Lower 48. When the New Deal opens up the Matanuska Valley for settlement, Dr. Hillerman and his daughter Gwyn have no idea of the scale of the work before them in providing medical care for an entire new colony. After life seemingly turns against him, Dr. Jeremiah Vaughan of Chicago decides to head up and help Dr. Hillerman, whom he had known in his youth. Jeremiah arrives in Alaska full of secrets, but how long will he be able to keep them? Award-winning Peterson and Woodhouse have coauthored a marvelous story of love and adventure in the Alaskan frontier. Their characters spring to life against a background of historical events. The faith of the Hillermans and other characters in their exceptional circumstances rings true, and, indeed, they have little else to depend on. Readers will enjoy romance and excitement as Gwyn and Jeremiah figure out each other's intentions and work hard to create a new life in beautiful and demanding Alaska.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)