All That We Carried

This was my third book by Erin Bartels and I think it is my favorite so far. As a woman who raised children with yearly hiking, camping and backpacking trips I could relate so much to every aspect of this journey. I could hardly put this book down! It was a real page turner with so many levels of connection for me. The sisters could not have been more different from each other. I must admit that I completely related to Olivia more than Melanie. There were times I felt I was right there with them and my emotions took the journey with them. It is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it!

"But there is one thing I do know: life is about more than just being happy or being liked or being self-actualized. It's about more than just me. It's about more than just you." This is the first book I have read by Erin Bartels (though I do own her two previous books). She has earned much accolade, and rightly so, given her lovely writing, deeply layered characters with raw and intense emotions that roll off the pages, well-constructed plot that brings the reader into the heart of the characters, and poignant and thought-provoking themes. This book allows the reader to follow along two estranged sisters, Olivia and Melanie, through a week-long hike in the Porcupine Mountains in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The scenery is absolutely breath-taking and I felt like I was actually hiking the trails with them, suffering and triumphing alongside their losses and victories. Their reunion is stilted at best, having been estranged for a decade. Their completely different personalities and outlooks on life adds fuel to the fire that has been growing since their parents' tragic death ten years ago. Olivia, the older sister, is an atheist control-freak, extremely structured but also self-centered. Melanie, the younger sister, is more of a free spirit and tender-hearted but quite unstructured and somewhat lost in her new age thinking. Unfortunately I couldn't fully connect with either sister and their argumentative dialogue, though probably very realistic between sisters, made me feel at edge, especially because Olivia mostly argued for the sake and love of argument. The sisters' convoluted history and relationship is made more clear with flashbacks, as new and old friends enter into the plot to nudge them along. The epilogue and Olivia and Melanie's spiritual stance are left open without any firm resolution, which disappointed me but also made me think deeper about the sisters' journey. Even though I didn't empathize with the sisters, their fears and heartache were real and tangible, as was their growth during the hike. If you enjoy well-written women's fiction, I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy this book. I received a copy of the book from Revell via Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.