All That We Carried by Erin Bartels

 

Ten years ago, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a backcountry hiking trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. Over the years, they grew apart, each coping with the loss in her own way. Olivia plunged herself into law school, work, and an atomistic view of the world--what you see is what you get, and that's all you get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an online life-coaching business around her cafeteria-style spirituality--a little of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.

Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward is the one way they had never considered.

Michigan Notable Book Award winner Erin Bartels draws from personal experience hiking backcountry trails with her sister to bring you a story about the complexities of grief, faith, and sisterhood.

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About The Author

ERIN BARTELS is the award-winning author of WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS—a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, winner of the 2020 Star Award from the Women's Fiction Writers Association in both the debut and general fiction categories, and a 2019 Christy Award finalist—THE WORDS BETWEEN US—a 2020 Christy Award finalist and a 2015 Rising Star finalist from WFWA—and ALL THAT WE CARRIED (coming January 2021). Her short story “This Elegant Ruin” was a finalist in The Saturday Evening Post 2014 Great American Fiction Contest. Her poems have been published by The Lyric and The East Lansing Poetry Attack. A member of the Capital City Writers Association and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she is former features editor of WFWA’s Write On! magazine and current director of the annual WFWA Writers Retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Erin lives in the beautiful, water-defined state of Michigan where she is never more than a ninety minute drive from one of the Great Lakes or six miles from an inland lake, river, or stream. She grew up in the Bay City area waiting for freighters and sailboats at drawbridges and watching the best 4th of July fireworks displays in the nation. She spent her college and young married years in Grand Rapids feeling decidedly not-Dutch. She currently lives with her husband and son in Lansing, nestled somewhere between angry protesters on the Capitol lawn and couch-burning frat boys at Michigan State University. And yet, she claims it is really quite peaceful.

Erin is represented by Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency. Find her on Facebook @ErinBartelsAuthor, on Twitter @ErinLBartels, or on Instagram @erinbartelswrites.  

 

My Review

The title of this book tells so much about the story, whether we are talking about grief or the gear we are going to use and take as we do a long hike.
Olivia the older sister, has dealt with her grief by cutting off her remaining family, but for ten years? In that time she has focused her life on her career as a lawyer.
Younger sister Melanie, appears to be an accomplished blogger, and has a big heart, she doesn't want to hurt anyone or anything, to the point of her diet. She is a vegan because, well she may end up eating family or friend, she also believes in reincarnation!
Watch for the twist that happen here, and you will be scratching your head and wonder if it is a God thing or that person is really real.
I loved all of the twist and turns, and even the sister bickering, and surprises abound, and gifts, even if they don't look like a real present they are gifts!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.