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backpackingbookworm 's review for:
Damnation Spring
by Ash Davidson
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We picked Damnation Spring as our book club choice for January. The initial attraction (based on the cover and blurb) was the PNW setting, a new topic to explore (logging and the life that comes with it), community tension and generational endurance. All things I love to immerse myself in.
As anticipated, Damnation Spring was a sweeping saga that centred around the Gunderson's. Rich, an experienced tree-topper following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both of whom died on the job), has his eye on the 24/7 ridge - a sprawling mass of giant trees that would ensure he could provide for his wife and son well into the future. But when a growing group of tree huggers show up, Rich and his fellow loggers find themselves in jeopardy - without the trees, how will they survive? How will they feed their families? Logging is ingrained in their skin, tattooed into their calloused hands - it's all they have. With both sides explored, Davidson expertly tackles the themes of environmentalism, greed, and the impact of logging on families, the community, and health.
Firstly, the rich descriptions in this book were truly transportational - you could instantly picture yourself in each character's shoes, slogging through mud, catching your breath as a tree came crashing down, feeling the strength of the rushing water as you waded chest-deep into the creek. However, there is a line you can cross with descriptions where they become overkill and unfortunately it got to that point with this book. It felt so drawn out at times and I did consider DNFing on multiple occasions because nothing was happening other than what felt like redundant descriptions. It was the slowest burn I've read in a long time and I felt like I was slogging through mud A LOT, especially in the beginning. I'm not against slow burns, in fact, I love them, but there's they need to build tension and still feel relevant - too many parts felt mundane and could have easily been edited out without affecting the story. Add to that the heavy technical language and logging jargon that the reader is expected to pick up without explanation - it was a good job I read on my phone because I used the dictionary way more than normal.
I'm still giving four stars though (4.1 to be exact) because I did really enjoy the characterisation, the narrative and the themes. It was a really interesting read and tackled a lot of sensitive subjects. It reminded me of the way Jodi Picoult lays out her books - we hear from both sides of a controversial topic and we get more than one perspective, leading us to make our own decisions rather than being heavily guided by the author. I always appreciate that in a book, especially when it could be very easy to pick a side and focus on that.
Also 10/10 for a beautiful cover 😍
Rating breakdown
As anticipated, Damnation Spring was a sweeping saga that centred around the Gunderson's. Rich, an experienced tree-topper following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both of whom died on the job), has his eye on the 24/7 ridge - a sprawling mass of giant trees that would ensure he could provide for his wife and son well into the future. But when a growing group of tree huggers show up, Rich and his fellow loggers find themselves in jeopardy - without the trees, how will they survive? How will they feed their families? Logging is ingrained in their skin, tattooed into their calloused hands - it's all they have. With both sides explored, Davidson expertly tackles the themes of environmentalism, greed, and the impact of logging on families, the community, and health.
Firstly, the rich descriptions in this book were truly transportational - you could instantly picture yourself in each character's shoes, slogging through mud, catching your breath as a tree came crashing down, feeling the strength of the rushing water as you waded chest-deep into the creek. However, there is a line you can cross with descriptions where they become overkill and unfortunately it got to that point with this book. It felt so drawn out at times and I did consider DNFing on multiple occasions because nothing was happening other than what felt like redundant descriptions. It was the slowest burn I've read in a long time and I felt like I was slogging through mud A LOT, especially in the beginning. I'm not against slow burns, in fact, I love them, but there's they need to build tension and still feel relevant - too many parts felt mundane and could have easily been edited out without affecting the story. Add to that the heavy technical language and logging jargon that the reader is expected to pick up without explanation - it was a good job I read on my phone because I used the dictionary way more than normal.
I'm still giving four stars though (4.1 to be exact) because I did really enjoy the characterisation, the narrative and the themes. It was a really interesting read and tackled a lot of sensitive subjects. It reminded me of the way Jodi Picoult lays out her books - we hear from both sides of a controversial topic and we get more than one perspective, leading us to make our own decisions rather than being heavily guided by the author. I always appreciate that in a book, especially when it could be very easy to pick a side and focus on that.
Also 10/10 for a beautiful cover 😍
Rating breakdown
- Plot/narrative - 4.1
- Writing style/readability - 3.5
- Characters - 4.2
- Diverse themes - 4.3
- Ending - 4.2
Overall - 4.1
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death