With the Enduring Tides

This affecting historical from Kirkpatrick (Across the Crying Sands) follows a strong-willed postal worker as she navigates the rugged terrain of Oregon’s northern coast at the turn of the 20th century. Mary Gerritse is busy enough delivering mail for the postal service to support her husband and kids when she gets word from her father that her mother, Amanda, is sick. Upon traveling to their remote town with her headstrong 11-year-old Belle, Mary finds that her father has hired a helper, Virginia, to care for her dementia-stricken mother. Initially perturbed by the stranger in their midst, Mary slowly gets to know Virginia and starts to feel at ease leaving Belle in her care so she can resume her work. Then a sudden death reveals a shocking secret about her own past, forcing Mary to see her family, and faith, in a new light. While Kirkpatrick’s extensive cast of characters (many of whom Mary encounters on her postal route) and myriad plotlines can become unwieldy, the atmospheric depiction of the forbidding Oregon coast and the nuanced rendering of family bonds are vivid and gripping. It’s a captivating if sometimes crowded portrait of a trailblazing woman. (Apr.)