Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson

A family saga about loggers in California where the only way to make it is to own a piece of the ridge with the old redwoods. For most it is an unattainable dream but Rich has a shot at buying 24-7. His wife Colleen is a midwife who has suffered many miscarriages and is noticing that she is not alone. While logging puts food on the table this story digs deep into the toll it takes on the community and the dangers involved. A beautifully written debut full of parallels between the beauty of the forest and the giant redwoods and their value as timber and the dangers and loss of life from tearing them all down and pollutants. We get into the morality and the politics of logging but more so how it effects the people who make a living from it. The characters feel real - their joys, pain and hardships. The forest gives and takes no matter how hard you work or how good you are. Readers of DEEP RIVER by Karl Marlantes or other books on the logging industry as well as those who enjoy a character driven story of hardship and hard work.  4 1/2 stars