The Orchardist
HarperCollins
At the turn of the 20th century in a rural stretch of the Pacific Northwest, a reclusive orchardist, Talmadge, tends to apples and apricots as if they were loved ones. A gentle man, he’s found solace in the sweetness of the fruit he grows and the quiet, beating heart of the land he cultivates. One day, two teenage girls appear and steal his fruit from the market and later return to the outskirts of his orchard to see the man who gave them no chase. Feral, scared, and very pregnant, the girls take up on Talmadge’s land and indulge in his deep reservoir of compassion. Just as the girls begin to trust him, men arrive in the orchard with guns, and the shattering tragedy that follows will set Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past.
New York Times Bestseller
2013 Whiting Writers’ Award
Barnes & Noble Discover Award
Indie Choice Award nominee
Best of Year
NPR
Oregonian
Seattle Times
Washington Post
Top Monthly
Amazon
Indie Next
Pennie’s Pick
NBF 5 Under 35 honoree