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The Lightning Within Us
THE LIGHTNING WITHIN US is literary fiction set in the isolated mountains of Central Idaho and on the rim of Hells Canyon in eastern Oregon. It is 1993, but for Lina Hudson, time stopped fifteen years ago.
In the tinder-dry summer of 1978, Lina and her twin sister Rainy were on the verge of sixteen, their once close bond fracturing apart as they struggled to find new identities in the remote Yellow River Valley.
This was the last in a series of moves for their restless and increasingly desperate parents as they sought to save their marriage. Lina's father was captivated by a treasure hunt, described in an enigmatic poem by a reclusive collector. He was convinced that he could find the treasure and change their lives forever. Absorbed in their imploding lives, neither parent notices when Lina, feeling like an outcast in this new tight-knit community, is befriended by two semi-feral teenagers who live by their own rules. Cassie and Silas show her what they call ghost trails, long-abandoned paths in the mountains that they are trying to reclaim, and stalk the outlaws who steal crystals from the rocks to sell in Boise.
With them, Lina is able to forget about her increasingly distant sister and her parents' battles. But when evil from Cassie's past returns and she is forced to make a deadly decision, events spiral into a catastrophic wildfire. Two girls go up the mountain, and only one returns.
Now, fifteen years later, Lina keeps everyone at a distance-except Joe Grider, a transient who moves in and out of her life. She is terrified that someone will find out who she is and what she did years ago. She believes she has been successful-until her father appears bearing a postcard that appears to have been written by a dead Cassie. Did Cassie somehow survive? Is Lina not responsible for Cassie's death, as she has always believed?
To find out will mean returning to the town that was destroyed by fire and to the long memories of the people who live there.
In the tinder-dry summer of 1978, Lina and her twin sister Rainy were on the verge of sixteen, their once close bond fracturing apart as they struggled to find new identities in the remote Yellow River Valley.
This was the last in a series of moves for their restless and increasingly desperate parents as they sought to save their marriage. Lina's father was captivated by a treasure hunt, described in an enigmatic poem by a reclusive collector. He was convinced that he could find the treasure and change their lives forever. Absorbed in their imploding lives, neither parent notices when Lina, feeling like an outcast in this new tight-knit community, is befriended by two semi-feral teenagers who live by their own rules. Cassie and Silas show her what they call ghost trails, long-abandoned paths in the mountains that they are trying to reclaim, and stalk the outlaws who steal crystals from the rocks to sell in Boise.
With them, Lina is able to forget about her increasingly distant sister and her parents' battles. But when evil from Cassie's past returns and she is forced to make a deadly decision, events spiral into a catastrophic wildfire. Two girls go up the mountain, and only one returns.
Now, fifteen years later, Lina keeps everyone at a distance-except Joe Grider, a transient who moves in and out of her life. She is terrified that someone will find out who she is and what she did years ago. She believes she has been successful-until her father appears bearing a postcard that appears to have been written by a dead Cassie. Did Cassie somehow survive? Is Lina not responsible for Cassie's death, as she has always believed?
To find out will mean returning to the town that was destroyed by fire and to the long memories of the people who live there.
234 pages, Paperback
Published April 10, 2024
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Mary Emerick
5 books17 followersNature. Wilderness. Loves writing that includes the outdoors as character and influences personality. Author of essays and three books: memoir and fiction. Alaska has my heart always. Drawn to mountains. Scariest moment: kayaking in 12 foot seas.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 11, 2024
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this story. It honestly reminded me a lot of "Where the Crawdads Sing" but the story takes place in the mountains between Oregon and Idaho.
The Lightning Within Us follows the story of Tazlina "Lina". She's a woman around 30 years old living in a very remote area, hiding and fighting the demons she's carried for the last 15 years. The story flashes back to the summer when Lina was 15, she meets siblings Cassie and Silas. They spend the summer wondering the mountains, clearing out old mountain trails from settler's past, and avoiding the townsfolk- who consider them outcasts. The summer ends with the death of Cassie and Lina fearing she played a role in her friend's death.
However, in the present, Lina receives a postcard from someone claiming to be Cassie. To find out the truth to what happened that night, Lina goes back to the mountain town- where she was forced out, and may not be welcomed again.
The story was easy to read. Could use some layout editing but I was intrigued with the story. I wanted to know what caused Cassie's death, why was Lina so scared to go back and afraid people would find her in the present. I liked the character of a young Silas and wanted more from him as an adult. Overall, I'd recommend this story to those who liked "Where the Crawdads Sing."
#TheLightningWithinUs #NetGalley
I liked this story. It honestly reminded me a lot of "Where the Crawdads Sing" but the story takes place in the mountains between Oregon and Idaho.
The Lightning Within Us follows the story of Tazlina "Lina". She's a woman around 30 years old living in a very remote area, hiding and fighting the demons she's carried for the last 15 years. The story flashes back to the summer when Lina was 15, she meets siblings Cassie and Silas. They spend the summer wondering the mountains, clearing out old mountain trails from settler's past, and avoiding the townsfolk- who consider them outcasts. The summer ends with the death of Cassie and Lina fearing she played a role in her friend's death.
However, in the present, Lina receives a postcard from someone claiming to be Cassie. To find out the truth to what happened that night, Lina goes back to the mountain town- where she was forced out, and may not be welcomed again.
The story was easy to read. Could use some layout editing but I was intrigued with the story. I wanted to know what caused Cassie's death, why was Lina so scared to go back and afraid people would find her in the present. I liked the character of a young Silas and wanted more from him as an adult. Overall, I'd recommend this story to those who liked "Where the Crawdads Sing."
#TheLightningWithinUs #NetGalley
April 15, 2024
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a great book! I recommend it to those who enjoy a mystery and liked “Where the Crawdads Sing”. I loved the way Mary Emerick builds up the suspense.
This was such a great book! I recommend it to those who enjoy a mystery and liked “Where the Crawdads Sing”. I loved the way Mary Emerick builds up the suspense.
June 12, 2024
It took me a really long time to read this novel even though, at first glance, the plot seemed like it would be perfect for my literary tastes. To be completely honest, I found the story well-written, captivating, and capable of creating a certain suspense (probably thanks to the way the narrative was structured and the division of the chapters).
Throughout the first part, the story managed to keep me glued to the pages, giving me the feeling of always wanting to know more about the protagonists and, of course, a sense of urgency to continue with the events. I wanted to discover what was happening, to learn about the events that awaited me.
Something broke around the middle of the story, though it recovered, leaving only a few patches of less engaging narration that made it harder to keep reading.
Overall, I would fairly strongly recommend this book to those looking for a story rich in suspense and full of thrilling twists.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowed me to read this book in advance
Throughout the first part, the story managed to keep me glued to the pages, giving me the feeling of always wanting to know more about the protagonists and, of course, a sense of urgency to continue with the events. I wanted to discover what was happening, to learn about the events that awaited me.
Something broke around the middle of the story, though it recovered, leaving only a few patches of less engaging narration that made it harder to keep reading.
Overall, I would fairly strongly recommend this book to those looking for a story rich in suspense and full of thrilling twists.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowed me to read this book in advance
April 22, 2024
This book was mostly enjoyable and easy to read. Although I didn’t particularly care for the writing style: the main character having conversations in the present, and then mid chapter the author would talk about them in the past as third person, then switch back.
I became invested in the characters and how their story line played out. I was hoping for a different ending. Maybe even a happier one.
I appreciate the authors vast knowledge on trail building. It was interesting to read a fictional story that was also heavily focused on nature.
**Trigger warning. There were some brief mentions about childhood abuse that I wish I had known before I read it.
#TheLightningWithinUs #NetGalley
I became invested in the characters and how their story line played out. I was hoping for a different ending. Maybe even a happier one.
I appreciate the authors vast knowledge on trail building. It was interesting to read a fictional story that was also heavily focused on nature.
**Trigger warning. There were some brief mentions about childhood abuse that I wish I had known before I read it.
#TheLightningWithinUs #NetGalley
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2024
This is Emerick's best book yet. Her deep knowledge of the wilderness shines as it does in all her books, but in this one her characters are just as complex and compelling. I found myself thinking about them during random drives or before falling sleep at night. A novel of great compassion for both the wilderness and those who try to make a living on its edges. Highly recommended.
April 14, 2024
I read this book on NetGalley. Overall it was a good read for those that like mysteries and mountains setting.
#NetGalley
#TheLightiningWithinUs
#NetGalley
#TheLightiningWithinUs
May 6, 2024
I love the cover design, and the life in, and descriptions of, The Hells Canyon. I would have appreciated more clarity of the plot.
August 17, 2025
very good
July 21, 2024
This book is a lot of things.
I'm trying to figure out how to follow up that statement, and nothing feels quite right. I loved the title and LOVED the cover but ultimately, I was kind of disappointed because I don't know what the story wanted to be.
The story begins as a mystery. A postcard arrives unexpectedly, leading Lina to question whether her long-presumed-dead friend may actually be alive. Unfortunately, this postcard plot thread remains unresolved.
Then was a little bit of A Woman Unraveling Her Past, but we find out that her past is exactly what it had been all along. It seemed like there was a setup for some big reveal that would change her perception of what happened on The Night in Question. However, once all the details fell into place, the story was pretty much the same. She (and we) learned new things but it didn't really reframe the events of that night in any meaningful way. Which is to say, there was no mystery here either.
This was also an extended treatise on How to Build Mountain Trails. In fact, these sections almost felt like the result of someone taking notes during an interview with a trail builder or Forest Ranger.
This was also a strange display of teens and pre-teens patiently explainifying a variety of things AT each other (like How to Build Mountain Trails) instead of having normal conversations. They spent endless pages filibustering in world-weary metaphors about cars and walls and human nature... you know, like kids do.
Then suddenly, one of them decides to burn down the forest.
In a way, it felt like this book was written by two separate people. One author was very good at describing the inner life of the main character. The other author put a lot of time into instruction manuals and unrealistic dialogue. Neither author seemed to care very much about plot flow so the whole thing felt somewhat choppy. It was often difficult to tell who was talking because the digital book didn't indent or put space between lines of dialogue when the speaker changed.
Adding to the confusion, sometimes the characters would jump to a brand new subject in the middle of a scene or conversation, or make reference to things the reader had not been witness to, with no explanation. In fact, there were lots of references made throughout the book to things that I thought would be explained at some point but they never were. Perhaps these are the mysteries we are meant to solve?
The more skilled author used some lovely, poetic language. Lina's parental abandonment is described as "her father captured by the mountains, her mother betrayed by the sun". (That one IS actually explained later on.) On the other hand, the unskilled author engages some Writing 101 tropes. "What did Lucy know? She couldn't think about that right now".
It's not "It was a dark and stormy night" but it's not far off.
This lovely sentence must have been a collaboration because it manages to capture both at once: "If she were a tree, she would take pain and become stronger, wrap her new and thicker bark around the scars of the fire or the tracks of the beetle. Instead, she had turned into a woman who hid in shadows."
I had high hopes for this book, but it was mostly forgettable. Unless I ever need to Build a Mountain Trail.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.
I'm trying to figure out how to follow up that statement, and nothing feels quite right. I loved the title and LOVED the cover but ultimately, I was kind of disappointed because I don't know what the story wanted to be.
The story begins as a mystery. A postcard arrives unexpectedly, leading Lina to question whether her long-presumed-dead friend may actually be alive. Unfortunately, this postcard plot thread remains unresolved.
Then was a little bit of A Woman Unraveling Her Past, but we find out that her past is exactly what it had been all along. It seemed like there was a setup for some big reveal that would change her perception of what happened on The Night in Question. However, once all the details fell into place, the story was pretty much the same. She (and we) learned new things but it didn't really reframe the events of that night in any meaningful way. Which is to say, there was no mystery here either.
This was also an extended treatise on How to Build Mountain Trails. In fact, these sections almost felt like the result of someone taking notes during an interview with a trail builder or Forest Ranger.
This was also a strange display of teens and pre-teens patiently explainifying a variety of things AT each other (like How to Build Mountain Trails) instead of having normal conversations. They spent endless pages filibustering in world-weary metaphors about cars and walls and human nature... you know, like kids do.
Then suddenly, one of them decides to burn down the forest.
In a way, it felt like this book was written by two separate people. One author was very good at describing the inner life of the main character. The other author put a lot of time into instruction manuals and unrealistic dialogue. Neither author seemed to care very much about plot flow so the whole thing felt somewhat choppy. It was often difficult to tell who was talking because the digital book didn't indent or put space between lines of dialogue when the speaker changed.
Adding to the confusion, sometimes the characters would jump to a brand new subject in the middle of a scene or conversation, or make reference to things the reader had not been witness to, with no explanation. In fact, there were lots of references made throughout the book to things that I thought would be explained at some point but they never were. Perhaps these are the mysteries we are meant to solve?
The more skilled author used some lovely, poetic language. Lina's parental abandonment is described as "her father captured by the mountains, her mother betrayed by the sun". (That one IS actually explained later on.) On the other hand, the unskilled author engages some Writing 101 tropes. "What did Lucy know? She couldn't think about that right now".
It's not "It was a dark and stormy night" but it's not far off.
This lovely sentence must have been a collaboration because it manages to capture both at once: "If she were a tree, she would take pain and become stronger, wrap her new and thicker bark around the scars of the fire or the tracks of the beetle. Instead, she had turned into a woman who hid in shadows."
I had high hopes for this book, but it was mostly forgettable. Unless I ever need to Build a Mountain Trail.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews