FINALLY a new book!
I have started Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. It's set in Civil War-era United States and focused around two characters, a young soldier named Inman and a young girl named Ada. The book begins with Inman, who is staying in a hospital after being injured in battle. He talks about the view from his window of the mountains and grassy fields below. I imagine it as chilly and rustic, the landscape he describes is like a painting that doesn't drastically change for hours on end. We leave Inman in the dead of night, not knowing exactly what he is thinking. All we know is that right before we leave him, he has gathered his things and escaped the hospital through the window.
The story then transitions to Ada, a young girl recently abandoned by her caregiver named Monroe. After his death, she is left with his house and his land and no idea what to do with it. She is probably one of my favorite characters because although she lives in a time period where she has to be respectable and "proper", she very well does what she pleases. Living by herself, she realizes that there's nobody to dress up or cook for and gives up much like a modern-day teenager would. You can hear the tone of shiiit, I don't know in her narration almost constantly. However, the wonderful thing is that there's so much more to her character than just that. We learn about her love of reading and the arts, her extensive education, and her relationships with old friends.
The cool part about Frazier's writing is that there really isn't much exposition. He immediately submerses his readers in the world he's created. Right off the bat we see character development from both characters, how does Inman handle this new, terrifying world of war? How does Ada handle being on her own for the first time? It's fascinating because they both behave like real people, in the way they interact to the way they think. It's so beautifully and candidly written I can't wait to read more!
