North of Here

Written by Laurel Saville

Narrated by Pete Simonelli

The sounds of unexpected tragedies—a roll of thunder, the crash of metal on metal—leave Miranda in shock amid the ruins of her broken family.

As she searches for new meaning in her life, Miranda finds quiet refuge with her family’s handyman, Dix, in his cabin in the dark forests of the Adirondack Mountains. Dix is kind, dependable, and good with an ax—the right man to help the sheltered Miranda heal—but ultimately, her sadness creates a void even he can’t fill.

When a man from her distant past turns up, the handsome idealist now known as Darius, he offers Miranda a chance to do meaningful work at The Source, a secluded property filled with his nature worshipers. Miranda feels this charismatic guru is the key to remaking her life, but her grief and desire for love also create an opportunity for his deception. And in her desperate quest to find herself after losing almost everything, Miranda and Dix could pay a higher price than they ever imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781511320726

Laurel Saville

In addition to Unraveling Anne, Laurel Saville is the author of four books, numerous feature articles, and many short stories and essays. She earned an MFA in creative writing and literature from the Bennington Writing Seminars and has taught a variety of courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. She lives and works in the Mohawk River Valley of upstate New York.

Reviews for North of Here

[justcommonly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Let's get this off first. This is not a book for anyone. Laurel Saville writes with such sophistication and intensity that makes North of Here not for the faint of heart. If you're looking for an easygoing and mindless read, this is not for you. However, if you prefer books with depth and meaning, North of Here will not disappoint. Though I must warn you, this novel set in the Adirondacks is not a typical romantic suspense nor is it predictable in any way.Written in the perspectives of four characters, readers get to be part of their thoughts and their lives from their own eyes; and disturbingly enough, the start of a "back-to-nature" cult that threatens the livelihood and whatever happiness these characters have. Laurel's poetic narratives of the environment, with her unyielding display of a person's emotional turmoil in self-destruction gives readers a poignant novel that beseech compassion and logic. I did not put this book down, because you just don't know what's next, and after the tragic beginnings for these characters, you don't want to leave it at that. Your compassion kicks into high gear and you hope that by the end, the twists and turns will end and there finally will be lasting peace and happiness. "...many of these children lived in a moment-by-moment world with little room for what Miranda was slowly starting to realize were luxuries: curiosity, ambition, and reflection." (5)"The sun always came up, but sometimes it was obscured by clouds; a grand tree fell down in a storm and became a nurse leg for other trees; a deer died in a hard winter, giving lots of other small animals an important source of protein; acute baby birds also sometimes pushed their siblings out of the nest; foxes hunted both vermin and new chicks; mothers took care of their young simply because hormones compelled them to. He had little philosophy in him other than a dogged desire to do quality work, to be kind and helpful when called upon, to leave things better than he found them...He never considered how rare and decent these qualities made him." (34)"They both counted the minutes. In a fewer than expected, the door swung open, banging rudely against the wall. Stamp, stamp. Two boots. No voices. Miranda stood. Dix strode into the room and met her eye. 'Call 911,' he said." (13) (Please note, for my readers who prefer clean reads, this book does contain some profanity and sex scene. )This review first appeared on Just Commonly Blog.NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book through TLC Book Tours for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.

[fictionzeal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Everyone is affected by their relationships to others – family first. At the opening, Miranda’s brother had died and her mother had turned to alcohol. Then her father dies in an uncanny accident. We’re introduced early-on to the family’s handy man, Dix. He tended to watch out for them, more so after her father’s death. Miranda is intrigued by him. When more misfortune prevails upon Miranda’s life, Dix invites her to stay with him in his cabin. He’s attracted to Miranda and he’s a compassionate and caring individual. She seems to be content with Dix, but alas, the grass always seems greener on the other side. Darius, known as David to Miranda many years ago, reappears. He talks her into working at The Source, a kind of a commune existing in his old fixer upper house.The beginning held my attention and I desperately wanted to know how Miranda would handle her ever changing situation. However, it seemed to be rather winding instead of focusing on a destination. The setting was the Adirondack Mountains and a very simplistic lifestyle. The author gave Dix and Miranda very distinguishing personalities and I felt empathy for both of them. Real life has ups and downs and so I’d expect fiction to mirror that. In this story, the ‘downs’ were more apparent. It’s sad – Miranda is a depressed individual – it’s a book of the choices we make and often choosing the wrong path. Since there are people who are sensitive to novels with bad language, I just wanted to add that the f-word was included. Rating: 3 out of 5.

[somegirl_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got this as a Kindle First book, otherwise I probably never would have looked at it twice. It's an easy read; I read it in two sittings on one Saturday. It was... odd. Not necessarily in a good way. The whole thing felt a little disjointed, like it never really came together as a unified whole. But the one thing that turned me off the most was -- and this is a MAJOR SPOILER, seriously skip it if you haven't read this yet and think you might -- how the main character, Miranda, was killed off-screen, so to speak. In a chapter from Dix's POV, he goes to The Source one day and Darius is like, "Oh, yeah, Miranda's dead, man. We cremated her. Sorry not sorry." It was so random and casual that for quite a while I was convinced it would turn out that Darius was lying and actually had her imprisoned in the attic or something. I give it credit for not being predictable, and for keeping me engaged on a Saturday afternoon, but there definitely was room for improvement here.

[jenniferlynn-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It took me a little bit to get into the book, but then I was hooked. Miranda had to deal with the death of one family member after another, and had no idea how to deal with her father's financial mistakes. She grew up never having to worry about balancing a checkbook or worrying about paying her credit card bill. That all changed, luckily Dix was there to help her. Dix was a man of few words, but gave Miranda everything she needed. Then Darius appears, a spoiled rich boy who decides to create his own spiritual compound at a rundown farmhouse. The only thing missing was the Kool-Aid. Naturally, Miranda gets sucked into Darius' crazy ideas. Sally was one of the best supporting characters. I loved the ending.

[arlenadean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Title: North of HereAuthor: Laurel SavillePublisher: Lake Union PublishingReviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: FourReview:"North of Here" by Laurel SavilleMy Thoughts....This was definitely one of those reads[written in four sections] that seemed to grow more interesting as you kept reading even though it was a long slow paced process.I will say if you stay with the read you may become hooked. The four main characters[all complexed]..Miranda, Dix, David[Darius] and Sally were all somewhat intriguing in one way or another and if nothing else you would keep your attention reading to see what was coming next as they were introduced into the read. I will say this was quite a sad read and it was presented with many twist that will keep your attention. By the end of the read was this a story of 'Miranda's struggle to get past all of her family dynamics, or love between two individual people, or the exploration of a psychological morass of a narcissist who set up his own cult??' The part that I hated seeing in the story was the 'helplessness as a bystander who see the harm in what is going on but can't change the outcomes or the disaster.' Will Miranda ever get the happiness she wanted? Well, all I will say is to get these answered you will just have to pick 'North of Here' up and read it for yourself. Yes, I thought this read was a bit tragic and sad however this author did give the reader not only a blunt read but something to think about long after the read in the way she presented it. I received a copy of this First Read from Amazon in exchange for only my honest review.

[judithdcollins · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A special thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Laurel Saville delivers NORTH OF HERE, a complex saga, absorbing, and unpredictable tale of tragedy, loss, sadness, and a journey of despair to hope, set in the wooded mountains of the Adirondacks. Miranda, from a wealthy family-- wanted to get away from watching her mother fill her days with small and less meaningful tasks moving to her family’s Colonial in Connecticut where she had grown up to their log cabin in the mountains of the Adirondacks. Once in the mountains she did a variety of jobs from tutoring middle school kids to other odd jobs. She was searching for her path and purpose in life. Her brother (Scott) died in a car accident, earlier. Father dies a year later. A mother and daughter drowning in grief. Then another tragedy strikes. She meets Dix, the handyman, a kind man and one she began to admire. Marshall Dixon Macomb a solitary man. A good man. The gloom of winter outdoors matched the dark mood inside. From the cold to her own worry, sadness, and discomfort. Dix’s arrival and departure were the only break in the spell of her dazed mood. Dix first met Miranda when she was in high school and he was back home after college and a couple of years working for a land stewardship organization in Albany. To Dix, Miranda was a distant thing. She was from a different place.However, after her brother was killed and her father died, he noticed Miranda was more solemn—she seemed bruised. Then her mother started to decay, and Miranda become more fragile. He just fixed things, and then she needed help with the finances.Then another tragedy. A death, financial misdeeds. A mess. Life and death. Dix offered her help, a guest cabin. Comfort. She needed to heal. Next we meet some other characters. Darius (David) and Sally. He offers Miranda a chance to do meaningful work at The Source, a secluded property filled with his nature worshipers. Darius is an idealist, charismatic, and Miranda is drawn to him. Miranda was happy with Dix until she gets wrapped up with Darius. By this time Dix has fallen for Miranda and now she is under the control of Darius. Darius, a college drop-out, living in a compound with new age religions beliefs. We also meet Sally, a tough social worker, who wants to help Miranda and of course find love herself. Four flawed distinct characters: Darius, Dix, Sally, Miranda. With alternating chapters of Darius and Miranda, Darius and Sally. A baby. The father? Can life be salvaged? Healing or redemption?Without giving too much away, it is quite difficult to describe NORTH OF HERE. Rebirth? This is not a feel good book; however, deep, intense--nice writing, character-driven, and thought-provoking. More psychological, literary, and suspense; than thriller or mystery. I started listening to the audio, which I did not find very engaging; nor the narrator's performance. However, attained a reading copy from the publisher, which seemed to flow easier. A lot of emotional dysfunctional family dynamics, human emotions, broken dreams; characters which readers will not care for, and some they will root for—questioning their actions and motives. Why I did not personally, find this a particularly enjoyable read; it seemed to take too much energy and work. However, others may enjoy the exploration; slow-paced; personality study--grasping for a sense of purpose. It was definitely a mountain climb. My first book by the author, and look forward to reading more. This would make an ideal choice for book clubs with a wide range of perspectives.