Rhys Kinnick has tried to live a “Thoreau” life for the last several years. He resides alone in the back woods of Washington state with no electricity, no indoor plumbing and no telephone. One day a neighbor of his daughter’s comes to his home with his two grandchildren, Leah and Asher. It seems his daughter, Bethany, their mother, has disappeared leaving a note that her children should be delivered to Rhys. Suddenly, Rhys’s quiet life is thrown upside down as he confronts religious fanatics, Bethany’s husband and an angry ex convict as he attempts to keep his grandchildren with him.

Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins, has written a fast paced, well-written, sometimes comical, sometimes frightening novel. Rhys Kinnick is a sympathetic, yet flawed, character who hopes to be given a second chance to form a bond with his family.