Book Review: Heartwood by Amity Gage

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The Details

Media Type: Audiobook
Title: Heartwood
Author(s): Amity Gaige
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages/Length: 320 pages, Hardcover
Release Date: April 1, 2025
Source: NetGalley

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Heartwood takes you on a journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.

At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.

The Review

I should first mention that I ended up listening to this as an audiobook, and I highly recommend it! Heartwood is told through a series of journal entries, tip line voicemails and interviews with some of our main characters. The audio version of this really brought those to life, and I found myself so invested in uncovering what happened to Valerie. An already solid story was really enhanced in this format. So do yourself a favor and pick it up!

Back to the review. At its heart, Heartwood is truly a story of resilience. Not just because we follow Valerie, as she fights to survive. Not even just because we meet Lieutenant Bev, the game warden who is leading the frantic search for Valerie against a ticking clock. While both of these characters are so very important, there are threads of resilience throughout this entire novel. We see them in all the characters, as they tackle their own individual shortcomings and are have their darkest thoughts and worries brought to the surface. It is a gorgeous thing, the way this story is woven.

There is love here, and there is loss. Gaige spends a good amount of time gently exploring different characters and their parent-child relationships, for instance. It isn’t just Valerie who is important in this aspect. Bev holds a place where she is constantly reminded of her mother’s dismissal of her lifesaving work. Lena nurses her own broken relationship with her child deep down where others can’t see. Even Santo, my favorite character if I’m being honest, has his own parental relationship issues. Layering this on top of the concept of resilience just hit home for me.

Oh and the writing in this book, let me tell you friends. This is a stellar example of vivid and engaging storytelling. The Maine woods became a character of their own, as Gaige so beautifully described them. The juxtaposition between the beauty of such a wild place, and the danger of being lost in all that beauty was something special. As Valerie laid her heart out on her diary entries, framed as letters to her mother, I could feel that resonate through the pages. So, so perfect.

Anyway as you can tell I very much enjoyed this read and would highly recommend it! Go into this fairly blind if you can, it’s well worth your time.