Shannon Bowring

Quick Review: IN A DISTANT VALLEY by Shannon Bowring (Europa Editions)

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Events in Dalton are coming to a head, as a record-breaking storm rolls in…

For a while, Rose Douglas believed life had given her a break. She was enjoying a steady job at the local clinic in Dalton; her two young boys, Adam and Brandon, were doing well in school; and their little family had found an easy friendship with widower Nate Theroux and his daughter, Sophie. The possibility of something deeper even hung between her and Nate—until the day Tommy Merchant, her ex and the father of her sons, showed up without warning on her doorstep. While Rose knows all too well his erratic and abusive nature, he swears he’s clean, and ready to turn over a new leaf.

Tommy isn’t the only one who’s found his way back to the town that defined him. Lost after a disastrous stint living down south with her father, Angela Muse has returned home to Dalton. There she runs into Greg Fortin, the friend who once saved her life when they were children and finally starts to believe there may be someone who understands her in a world that offers more questions than answers.

But secrets are the lifeblood of a small town, and everyone in Dalton soon finds themselves part of a chain of events hurtling towards outcomes beyond their control, where more than one future will be decided.

In a Distant Valley is the third, excellent novel in Shannon Bowring’s Dalton novels — following The Road to Dalton and Where the Forest Meets the River. It forms the end of a trilogy, of sorts, as the various characters are maneuvered into new situations and down new paths. I really enjoyed this. Continue reading →

Upcoming: IN A DISTANT VALLEY by Shannon Bowring (Europa Editions)

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In October, Europa Editions are due to publish In a Distant Valley, the third Dalton novel by Shannon Bowring. The first two novels — The Road to Dalton and Where the Forest Meets the River — were superb, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating Bowring’s third novel ever since finishing the second. Easily one of my most-anticipated novels of the year. Here’s the synopsis:

Both a love letter and a window into the rural places that have shaped many, In a Distant Valley sets the stage for a final act to play out across a deep winter in snowy Maine.

For a while, Rose Douglas believed life had given her a break. She was enjoying a steady job at the local clinic in Dalton; her two young boys, Adam and Brandon, were doing well in school; and their little family had found an easy friendship with widower Nate Theroux and his daughter, Sophie. The possibility of something deeper even hung between her and Nate—until the day Tommy Merchant, her ex and the father of her sons, showed up without warning on her doorstep. While Rose knows all too well his erratic and abusive nature, he swears he’s clean, and ready to turn over a new leaf.

Tommy isn’t the only one who’s found his way back to the town that defined him. Lost after a disastrous stint living down south with her father, Angela Muse has returned home to Dalton. There she runs into Greg Fortin, the friend who once saved her life when they were children and finally starts to believe there may be someone who understands her in a world that offers more questions than answers.

But secrets are the lifeblood of a small town, and everyone in Dalton soon finds themselves part of a chain of events hurtling towards outcomes beyond their control, where more than one future will be decided. Brimming with compassion and heart, In a Distant Valley is the remarkable conclusion to the story readers have been following since Shannon Bowring’s debut novel, The Road to Dalton.

Shannon Bowring’s In a Distant Valley is due to be published by Europa Editions on October 7th.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Road to Dalton and Where the Forest Meets the River

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

Quick Review: WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE RIVER by Shannon Bowring (Europa Editions)

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BowringS-D2-WhereTheForestMeetsTheRiverUSPBA very welcome return to Dalton…

It’s been five years since Bridget Theroux’s death shocked the small town of Dalton, Maine, leaving behind husband Nate and daughter Sophie, now a vibrant young child. Nate doesn’t always know how to answer her questions, but he is intent on raising her with joy — and shielding her from her grandmother, Annette, who remains dangerously locked away in her grief.  

After his first year away at college, Greg Fortin is back in town for the summer to work at the family store. It’s expected he’ll take over the hardware business eventually, but finding the words to tell them no — and the truth about who he is — has become his own Everest. Rose’s abusive ex, Tommy finally disappeared a few years ago, though sometimes his presence in the eyes of her oldest son unnerves her. She and Nate are finding themselves drawn together by their children’s playdates, and into a delicate balance between friendship and the possibility of more. 

And Trudy and Bev, always so sure of their love for each other, find themselves rocked when Trudy’s husband Richard suffers a heart attack, bringing into focus all the guilt she has felt about their empty marriage for years.  

Shannon Bowring demonstrates once again that she understands exactly where the heart of a story lies. Where the Forest Meets the River is a poignant return to the small town of Dalton, whose inhabitants continue to startle and humble both themselves — and us.

This is the second novel by Shannon Bowring set in 1990s Dalton, Maine. I loved the author’s debut, The Road to Dalton, and have been eagerly anticipating the author’s follow-up. The publisher was kind enough to send me an ARC, and I dove right in. I’m happy to report that Where the Forest Meets the River is another excellent novel from an author whose books have very quickly become a must-read for me. Continue reading →

Very Quick Review: THE ROAD TO DALTON by Shannon Bowring (Europa Editions)

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BowringS-RoadToDaltonUSHCsmAn excellent novel about the lives, loves, and secrets that make up a small town community

It’s 1990, and the lives of the inhabitants of Dalton, Maine play on.

Rose goes to work at the diner every day, her bruises hidden from both the customers and her two young boys. At a table she waits, Dr. Richard Haskell looks back on the one choice that’s charted his entire life, before his thoughts wander back to his wife, Trudy, and her best friend.

Trudy and Bev have been friends for longer than they can count, and something more than lovers to each other for some time now — a fact both accepted and ignored by their husbands. Across town, new mother Bridget lives with her high school sweetheart Nate, and is struggling with postpartum after a traumatic birth. And nearer still is teenager Greg, trying to define the complicated feelings he has about himself and his two close friends.

In most small towns, the private is also public. When one of Dalton’s own makes an unthinkable decision, the community is left reeling. In the aftermath, their problems, both small and large, reveal a deeper understanding of the lives of their neighbors, and remind us that no one is exactly who you think they are.

The Road to Dalton offers valuable understandings of what it means to be alive in the world — of pain and joy, conflict and love, and the endurance that comes from living.

A very quick review, today, for Shannon Bowring’s debut novel, The Road to Dalton. It’s the story of a small town in Maine, told in linked chapters, each told from the perspective of a different town resident. I really enjoyed this. Continue reading →

New Books (January 2023)

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Featuring: Leigh Bardugo, Brian Michael Bendis (w. Matthew Wilson), Sarah Bowring, Kevin Chong, S. A. Cosby, Max Gladstone, Rudy Gobert (w. Hellef Bay), Lee Goldberg, Rachel Howzell Hall, Daniel Polansky, James Swallow, Keziah Weir

Continue reading →