The Orchardist

At the turn of the twentieth century, in the rural Pacific Northwest, an orchardist named Talmadge carefully tends the grove of fruit trees he has cultivated for nearly half a century. A gentle, solitary man, he finds solace and purpose in the sweetness of what he grows, and in the quiet, beating heart of the land. Everything he is and has known is tied to this patch of earth. One day at the market, two girls—both barefoot, dirty, and pregnant—steal some apples. Curious about the man who gave them no chase, the sisters visit Talmadge’s homestead and take up on his land, indulging in his compassion. Yet just as they begin to trust him, brutal men arrive with guns, and the shattering tragedy that follows sets Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect the girls but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past. At once intimate and epic, The Orchardist marks the beginning of a stellar literary career.