A thrilling mix of French noir and American Western that charts a
family's struggle for freedom and justice in a hostile mountain
community.
In the godforsaken valley of the Black Rimstone, four siblings meet by
the viaduct, a place of their own away from home and daily life, which
hold so little for them: Mark, who reads in secret against his father's
orders; Matthew, who understands the forest, the river, and all their
creatures; Mabel, who wields her stunning beauty in pursuit of pleasure
and independence; and Luke, so often pitied and dismissed as
simpleminded, but whose fantastic dreams reveal an uncommon wisdom.
Together they live as one, bound by an unshakable bond.
Hanging over them, and the rest of the valley, is the bleak prospect of
work in the power plant, constructed and controlled by the fearsome
Joyce. Having arrived a stranger, he owned the entire town within ten
years, and now keeps a stranglehold on it through money and violence.
But after generations are used and spit out in service of one man's
greed, there comes a breaking point.
Winner of the Prix Jean Giono, this masterful, parable-like novel bears
witness to the power of nature and the promise of rebellion.
