gilda_elise

On an isolated Texas ranch, Dr. Lucy cares for abandoned animals. The solitude allows her to avoid the people and places that remind her of the past. Not that any of the townsfolk care. In 1959, no one is interested in a woman doctor. Nor are they welcoming Calvin and Justin Bell, a newly arrived African American father and son.

When Pete Solomon, a neglected twelve-year-old boy, and Justin bring a wounded wolf-dog hybrid to Dr. Lucy, the outcasts soon find refuge in one another. Lucy never thought she’d make connections again, never mind fall in love. Pete never imagined he’d find friends as loyal as Justin and the dog. But these four people aren’t allowed to be friends, much less a family, when the whole town turns violently against them.

With heavy hearts, Dr. Lucy and Pete say goodbye to Calvin and Justin. But through the years they keep hope alive…waiting for the world to catch up with them.

You can’t help but root for someone who cares for abandoned animals. Or for the boy who goes out of his way to help a wounded dog. But there’s so much more to Dr. Lucy and Pete. They’re truly good people, so it’s not a stretch to believe that they would be the ones to befriend Justin and his father.

But what I liked is that it isn’t all hearts and flowers. Especially Dr. Lucy and Pete are carrying some baggage. Both have had trauma in their lives. Yet their relationship with each other, and with the Bells, is realistically portrayed. What appears to be a simple tale has complexity to it.

I do wish there had been more of the story, that it hadn’t ended where it did, because I’d love to know what happened next. Where did their lives go from there? It seems that this author doesn’t do sequels, so I guess I’ll have to just imagine it myself.