Our Orbit
By Anesa Miller
Genre: Mainstream/Literary Fiction
Synopsis:
In Anesa Miller’s new book, Our Orbit, nine-year-old Miriam
Winslow has never worn new clothes, was not permitted to cut her hair, and
believes that children must repent their sins with major displays of remorse,
or harm will come to their loved ones. Barely half a year after her mother’s
death, Miriam is thrust into a different world when her father, a militant tax
protester, is jailed on weapons charges.
Miriam finds herself in foster care, her teenage siblings
sent to other homes.
College-educated Rick and Deanne Fletcher quickly come to
love their “new little girl.” Then they encounter the rest of Miriam’s family:
Uncle Dan believes he was abducted by aliens. Sister Rachel, just out of
juvenile detention, harbors many painful secrets. Brother Josh is outraged that
the Fletchers disrespect Christian teachings. When his plan to remove Miriam
from their home fails, Josh reacts with growing hostility to outside
interference in their way of life.
My Review
I was easily interested in reading Our Orbit due to the
colorful synopsis, but nothing could prepare me for the treasure that awaited
me within the pages. Wow, Anesa Miller can write! Her storytelling is hands
down some of the best I have read.
I love this quirky plot about the religious Winslow family who are a bit tattered and damaged. The youngest daughter
Miriam survives a car crash that takes her mother’s life and proudly steps up
to take the role of caregiver just like she thinks her mother would have wanted
her to. Sadly, when her father finds himself in a legal mess, Miriam is whisked away
to a foster family.
Anesa writes beautifully about the four Winslow children,
their unusual circumstances, and their struggle to find their way without their
parents and away from each other. Our Orbit is a captivating story and I highly
recommend it.
Author Bio:
A native of Wichita, Kansas, and longtime Ohio resident,
Anesa Miller is a writer with training in Russian language and literature. Her
work has been published in The Kenyon Review, The California Quarterly, the
Southern Humanities Review, and others. Her debut novel, Our Orbit, is a story
of cultural conflict set in Appalachia in the 1990s.
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