Pete’s Pick
August, 2021
You Belong Here Now
Dianna Rostad
William Morrow Publishing, April 6, 2021
Fiction
Introduction
This book is the debut novel for this author. The novel is set in 1925 and takes place in the Bull Mountain area of Montana. It provides an extraordinary look at the lives of three orphans who left New York City on one of the old orphan trains which were used to try to get orphans adopted by families coming to the various train stations along the route of the train.
Author
Dianna Rostad was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Her parents and extended family come from the ranches of Montana and the farms of Arkansas. She raised three children and began writing after they had pretty much grown up. She completed the Southern Methodist University Writers Path program in 2009. A favorite task of hers in writing is the discovery and research of the people and places in which her stories are set.
Story
This story starts at Grand Central Station in New York City as one of the orphan trains of the early 20th Century is being loaded with orphans who the Children’s Aid Society hope to place with families at different stops the train will make as it makes its way across the country. We are introduced to each of the three children as the story opens. One is an Irish boy still learning English who has been orphaned as a result of the Spanish flu. A second child is a tiny little girl who refuses to speak. The third is a young man who lies about his age in order to get on the train and get out of Hell’s Kitchen and the NYC area.
The story progresses as the train makes its way across the country. As it gets out West, it becomes obvious to Charles, the oldest, that the three of them (who have banded together) are not going to be adopted and will be sent back to New York City. As far as he’s concerned, that’s not an option. So, Charles hatches a plan to jump from the train at a point when it has slowed down for turns or other maneuvers. The other two children opt to go with him when he jumps. The children end up on a ranch owned by a family with a tragedy in their past. The parents are now in their 60s and the ranch is being run by their 30-ish spinster daughter whose sole goal in life is to inherit the ranch and keep on being in the cattle business. Having these three children show up completely upsets Nara’s life and she want no part of it. Through the urging of her parents, the three children stay on and Nara runs them ragged. However, the children respond to the environment they are in and the story is filled with fascinating scenarios when the children’s’ past experiences and the family’s past experience with the tragedy that took place years earlier collide and emotions spill out all over. It is a fascinating story of relationships, of the significance of family life, and even the story of forgiveness. You will find yourself taking sides as the story unfolds and ultimately cheering by the end.
Evaluation
This story managed to hook a lot of my emotions in a way which I had not expected. I did not know a lot about the days of the orphan trains, although I have heard about them. Having lived some in the West and being married to a woman whose family comes from the West, I found myself really interested in how the children learned to adapt to their new environment and how they responded to the challenges that they encountered. Dianna Rostad writes with great imagery in her words and has a wonderful way of drawing you in to the emotions behind the story line. I greatly enjoyed her first novel and will look forward to any future works of hers.