I’d heard about the Dustbowl, and vaguely knew it referred to places … maybe in the Midwest … where the soil turned to dust and the crops died. Never really gave it a second thought. Until now.
This book brought me in, no, it dragged me into the poor wind-beaten homes of farmers who’d lost everything because of dust. It wasn’t a matter of just drought, although it wasn’t raining either. Even if you had all the water in the world, the topsoil had disappeared down the road and all that was left was … dust. Fine as baby powder dust filled the fields and blew through the smallest crack in the wall. The desperation of families struggling to survive this phase in their life and wondering if indeed it was a phase, was just heartbreaking. Maybe it was simply the way life would be from now on. This book was an experience — and isn’t that what we want in a book?
Devil in the Dust is the story of 16-year-old Jessie Owen, the oldest of 5 children. Their mother, Emma, is trying to hold things together since her husband went to the city to sell some cows and hasn’t returned. What was keeping him? Had he met with an accident or had he left her? It wouldn’t be the first time a man had run off, not able to face his responsibilities. He was supposed to return with money to pay their bill at the store and buy more food, and at this point, Emma is stretched beyond her means and faces having to ask the store owner for additional credit – just to put food on the table.
And then Randall Mitchell comes to town. A nearly 30-year-old man who has money. A new car, clean clothes, and dollar bills spilling out of his pockets. He wants to buy land when it’s cheap, and he wants a wife. His eyes land on 16-year-old Jessie Owen, who sees him as a way out of the poverty her family is facing, especially if her father doesn’t come back.
This book is filled with the angst of living in such a dire situation day in and day out, and the expectation is that hope will be lost. But it has a thread of hope running through every page. Hope that things will change. Hope that each family can last that long. Hope that Jessie will marry Randall. Hope that Jessie will not marry Randall. Small children who don’t know green fields and rich earth that grew vegetables and flowers. Hope for the future.
I’ve given away very little of the story, just enough to whet your interest. It’s a Kindle Unlimited book if you subscribe to that service.
Recommendation: Very High
