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Beneath the Trees
An ambitious wildlife biologist, Colden McComb hikes the rugged Adirondack mountains, tracking moose and beaver, and navigates the halls of academia, jockeying for a place in the male-dominated world of conservation research. Over the course of one tumultuous year, she becomes entangled with a series of unsettling events that none of her scientific training can help her explain.
Best-selling author Laurel Saville uses incisive prose and evocative imagery in another page-turning story that picks up where her novel, “North of Here,” ended. She brings readers into the brooding backcounty of Upstate New York, where Colden searches for connections between petty thefts, sabotage vandalism, sexually-explicit emails, office gossip, Sasquatch myths, grainy game-camera images, an elusive chimera, a teenage runaway, and the contradictions of her own heritage. Alongside her handyman father, social worker step-mother, and a lawyer with secrets of his own, Colden confronts the mysteries she finds beneath the trees, and also within her own heart.
Best-selling author Laurel Saville uses incisive prose and evocative imagery in another page-turning story that picks up where her novel, “North of Here,” ended. She brings readers into the brooding backcounty of Upstate New York, where Colden searches for connections between petty thefts, sabotage vandalism, sexually-explicit emails, office gossip, Sasquatch myths, grainy game-camera images, an elusive chimera, a teenage runaway, and the contradictions of her own heritage. Alongside her handyman father, social worker step-mother, and a lawyer with secrets of his own, Colden confronts the mysteries she finds beneath the trees, and also within her own heart.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2017
11 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Laurel Saville
11 books99 followersLaurel Saville is the award-winning author of the novels "Beneath the Trees," "North of Here," and "Henry and Rachel," the memoir "Unraveling Anne" and several other books, as well as numerous articles, essays, and short stories, which have appeared in The Bark, The Bennington Review, Elle.com, House Beautiful, the LA Times Magazine, NYTimes.com, Room and many other publications. Laurel has an MFA from the Writing Seminars at Bennington College.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 28, 2017
My Review of “BENEATH THE TREES” by LAUREL SAVILLE
Kudos to Author Laurel Saville for her poetic descriptions of the landscape and story in “Beneath the Trees.” There are different layers in this novel that bring attention to many important conventional topics in society today. The author has a unique way of weaving her story in the elements of nature and giving a feeling of realism to the fictional parts of this novel. The genre for this story is Fiction, with a feel of scientific research. The timeline of this novel is set in the present, only referring to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in this story.
The story takes place in Upper New York State, near the Canadian border in the Adirondack mountains.
The author describes her characters as complicated and complex. Colden McComb is researching and tracking the relationship in nature of moose and beaver and looking for more to observe. She lives part time in Albany to do her academic research. Although it is challenging, Colden has more of a comfortable relationship with nature, than people. Colden is also in an academic and scientific field where she is one of the few women making her way in a system that mostly has been dominated by men.
Colden’s family consists of her father and stepmother.
I appreciate that the author shows compassion to animals. One example is that Colden’s father has a special farm for animals that have been abused or hurt. They are retrained and cared for. He hires people who have been abused as well.
I also love that the author brings attention to environmental matters, conservation, and the understanding of animal life in the wild.
. The author discusses important topics such as sexual abuse, emotional abuse, the foster system for children, women working in a male dominated field, the importance for the study of life in the wild, and conservation and the environment.
The author also shows the importance of community, family, friends, neighbors, self- worth, kindness, caring and love.
This is a novel that makes one think of the importance of the environment. Everyone is different, and in this novel the author shows us to learn to accept and help one another. Thank you to Get Red PR, Kindle Press, and Laurel Saville for a copy of this novel for my honest review. I would recommend this novel for readers that enjoy fiction with a realistic feel and contemporary issues. Happy Reading!
Linda Zagon Lindas Book Obsession
Kudos to Author Laurel Saville for her poetic descriptions of the landscape and story in “Beneath the Trees.” There are different layers in this novel that bring attention to many important conventional topics in society today. The author has a unique way of weaving her story in the elements of nature and giving a feeling of realism to the fictional parts of this novel. The genre for this story is Fiction, with a feel of scientific research. The timeline of this novel is set in the present, only referring to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in this story.
The story takes place in Upper New York State, near the Canadian border in the Adirondack mountains.
The author describes her characters as complicated and complex. Colden McComb is researching and tracking the relationship in nature of moose and beaver and looking for more to observe. She lives part time in Albany to do her academic research. Although it is challenging, Colden has more of a comfortable relationship with nature, than people. Colden is also in an academic and scientific field where she is one of the few women making her way in a system that mostly has been dominated by men.
Colden’s family consists of her father and stepmother.
I appreciate that the author shows compassion to animals. One example is that Colden’s father has a special farm for animals that have been abused or hurt. They are retrained and cared for. He hires people who have been abused as well.
I also love that the author brings attention to environmental matters, conservation, and the understanding of animal life in the wild.
. The author discusses important topics such as sexual abuse, emotional abuse, the foster system for children, women working in a male dominated field, the importance for the study of life in the wild, and conservation and the environment.
The author also shows the importance of community, family, friends, neighbors, self- worth, kindness, caring and love.
This is a novel that makes one think of the importance of the environment. Everyone is different, and in this novel the author shows us to learn to accept and help one another. Thank you to Get Red PR, Kindle Press, and Laurel Saville for a copy of this novel for my honest review. I would recommend this novel for readers that enjoy fiction with a realistic feel and contemporary issues. Happy Reading!
Linda Zagon Lindas Book Obsession
October 16, 2017
“Once he got there, he ran. As if something real and living, something breathing fire, was chasing him. Now, months later, he realized that creature was not something he could outrun because it lived within him.”
Beneath The Trees is a unique women’s fiction novel with a conservationist twist. Colden is a young woman working towards her PhD in wildlife biology. She spends as much time as she can in the remote wilds of the Adirondack Mountains with her father and step-mother. Working on tracking beavers and moose is important, but not as exciting as Colden desires. She wants to do something meaningful and impactful. Something that stakes her reputation and launches her career.
This novel isn’t just about Colden though. We get glimpses of a young man living in the woods. He is hiding deep in the wilds, surviving on what he can hunt or fish, only stealing small items as he needs them. He has no desire to interact with humanity. He wants to hide and disappear.
The pieces with Brayden in the wild are brief, but incredibly compelling. Every single interaction with him has you wondering what he’s running from. And as we get a glimpse into this answer, we are heartbroken bit by bit for this broken young man. We begin to wonder at the significance of who he could be in Colden’s life. Or how their paths will cross.
I have to say, while I really enjoyed this novel, I didn’t care for Colden much. Colden reads a bit like a coming of age character. Except she is far older than a teenager. So, she comes across as very immature when she interacts with people.
“Her family was apparently more wealthy and educated but seemingly less sophisticated and worldly than his. She felt both beyond Drew and behind him in unfamiliar ways.”
Her money is mentioned several times. That she is uncomfortable with it, but also more than accustomed to the convenience of it is aggravating at times. She comes across as wanting to be both a humble country girl who wants to live a simple life, and also a girl who will use her money and stature to get what she wants.
Part of what made the novel enjoyable though, is that the author doesn’t seem to be disguising her privilege or her immaturity. It takes awhile, but both her dad and her step-mom do reprimand her and call her on her nonsense. It made the novel more real for me and I could appreciate that sometimes we do go through some petulance or throw a tantrum or three when trying to find our way in this world.
“Look, all you’ve seen of us is through the lens of a kid. Kids are all self-absorbed. And frankly, you’re still a kid. Sort of, anyway. You’ve had a very sheltered life. A wonderful, rich, engaging, beautiful, but sheltered life.”
It was nice to read parents who allow Colden space to make her own mistakes but also put a boundary up when she begins to spin too far out of control. Especially if the child is actually an adult. I also liked how in the course of discussions such as these, Colden is forced to see that she is very privileged. And that she hasn’t always behaved in admirable ways, or seen that privilege.
When dealing with the character of Larry and Liam, I was irritated in a different way with Colden. Both are written to be very different characters but tackle the same unfairness and inherent sexism in the workplace topics. I did like how the story line with Larry ended. I thought it was an extremely refreshing way to remind us that we should not throw stones and to stop being so judgmental. Liam was a little harder to understand.
Seemingly he was thrown in to be a love interest, or perhaps a triangle. But his story ended up being tied up a little differently. Without spoiling the story, again, we learn to stop jumping to conclusions and to be more understanding. But, his story line also is sort of a lesson on that inherent sexism women deal with.
Colden raises the issue of feeling left out of the “boy’s club” multiple times in the novel. But, she never actually does anything to talk about how she feels about this, or to try and stop this behavior. Even when it’s her father doing the apparent shunning. I did have a problem with this. She is upset that women are expected to stay quiet and not fight it.
“The standard way to keep ambitious women just a rung or two below where their skills would otherwise take them. Just brush it off; just ignore it-that’s what they’d say.”
Which is all true. My issue is that Colden does exactly that. She bristles at the implications of these notions, but then decides she needs a bath instead. It’s a bit maddening.
The pieces then with Brayden are shown in such vivid contrast to Colden. His life and story are stark opposites to Colden’s. He is running away from a horror of a life. The foster family that was supposed to be his salvation ends up being hell for him and his sister.
“His own agonies were nothing compared to the anguish of realizing that he had not been there for her… Guilt was so much harder to bear than shame.”
I will caution that while there isn’t any graphic descriptions or scenes of abuse, physical and sexual, the topic is raised in multiple areas. While it isn’t explicit, Saville doesn’t back away from the emotional trauma that abuse inflicts. We don’t read about the abuse, but we read plenty about what it feels like to survive and move on.
“I’m not recovered. Kida like what they say about addiction; it’s really more about being in recovery. For the rest of your life. You find ways to live with it. You can’t get over it.”
Even not liking the main character, there are enough characters with significant substance that make the book enjoyable. I loved Dix and Sally. Their relationship and the honesty in which they are presented is fantastic. You can’t help but love the steady and quiet love they share. Drew is also amazing. Even as Colden’s impressions of him are annoyed or confused, you can’t help but see an outgoing and enthusiastic man anyway. And of course, Brayden’s pieces give this novel balance and depth.
The pieces on conservation and the importance of protecting the environment are well written and incredibly important. It was brilliant writing to weave this important topic into such a heavy novel without coming across as preachy or superficial. We are instead submersed into both the beauty and harshness of the wilds. It is even more skill that we can also be thrown into the same beauty and harshness of academia. The transitions between the two are seamless and natural.
Outside of my frustrations with Colden, this novel was a great story. We don’t always like facing these tougher issues in life. They are hard and they aren’t pleasant. But being able to see someone’s story through different eyes is an important lesson. In that way, Colden is a gift, because she does exactly that. She lets us learn to change our perspective. To learn how to be sympathetic, and more aware of lives other than our own. The journey we go on with her, is well worth it.
Thank you Get Red PR for sending me a copy to read and review!
Beneath The Trees is a unique women’s fiction novel with a conservationist twist. Colden is a young woman working towards her PhD in wildlife biology. She spends as much time as she can in the remote wilds of the Adirondack Mountains with her father and step-mother. Working on tracking beavers and moose is important, but not as exciting as Colden desires. She wants to do something meaningful and impactful. Something that stakes her reputation and launches her career.
This novel isn’t just about Colden though. We get glimpses of a young man living in the woods. He is hiding deep in the wilds, surviving on what he can hunt or fish, only stealing small items as he needs them. He has no desire to interact with humanity. He wants to hide and disappear.
The pieces with Brayden in the wild are brief, but incredibly compelling. Every single interaction with him has you wondering what he’s running from. And as we get a glimpse into this answer, we are heartbroken bit by bit for this broken young man. We begin to wonder at the significance of who he could be in Colden’s life. Or how their paths will cross.
I have to say, while I really enjoyed this novel, I didn’t care for Colden much. Colden reads a bit like a coming of age character. Except she is far older than a teenager. So, she comes across as very immature when she interacts with people.
“Her family was apparently more wealthy and educated but seemingly less sophisticated and worldly than his. She felt both beyond Drew and behind him in unfamiliar ways.”
Her money is mentioned several times. That she is uncomfortable with it, but also more than accustomed to the convenience of it is aggravating at times. She comes across as wanting to be both a humble country girl who wants to live a simple life, and also a girl who will use her money and stature to get what she wants.
Part of what made the novel enjoyable though, is that the author doesn’t seem to be disguising her privilege or her immaturity. It takes awhile, but both her dad and her step-mom do reprimand her and call her on her nonsense. It made the novel more real for me and I could appreciate that sometimes we do go through some petulance or throw a tantrum or three when trying to find our way in this world.
“Look, all you’ve seen of us is through the lens of a kid. Kids are all self-absorbed. And frankly, you’re still a kid. Sort of, anyway. You’ve had a very sheltered life. A wonderful, rich, engaging, beautiful, but sheltered life.”
It was nice to read parents who allow Colden space to make her own mistakes but also put a boundary up when she begins to spin too far out of control. Especially if the child is actually an adult. I also liked how in the course of discussions such as these, Colden is forced to see that she is very privileged. And that she hasn’t always behaved in admirable ways, or seen that privilege.
When dealing with the character of Larry and Liam, I was irritated in a different way with Colden. Both are written to be very different characters but tackle the same unfairness and inherent sexism in the workplace topics. I did like how the story line with Larry ended. I thought it was an extremely refreshing way to remind us that we should not throw stones and to stop being so judgmental. Liam was a little harder to understand.
Seemingly he was thrown in to be a love interest, or perhaps a triangle. But his story ended up being tied up a little differently. Without spoiling the story, again, we learn to stop jumping to conclusions and to be more understanding. But, his story line also is sort of a lesson on that inherent sexism women deal with.
Colden raises the issue of feeling left out of the “boy’s club” multiple times in the novel. But, she never actually does anything to talk about how she feels about this, or to try and stop this behavior. Even when it’s her father doing the apparent shunning. I did have a problem with this. She is upset that women are expected to stay quiet and not fight it.
“The standard way to keep ambitious women just a rung or two below where their skills would otherwise take them. Just brush it off; just ignore it-that’s what they’d say.”
Which is all true. My issue is that Colden does exactly that. She bristles at the implications of these notions, but then decides she needs a bath instead. It’s a bit maddening.
The pieces then with Brayden are shown in such vivid contrast to Colden. His life and story are stark opposites to Colden’s. He is running away from a horror of a life. The foster family that was supposed to be his salvation ends up being hell for him and his sister.
“His own agonies were nothing compared to the anguish of realizing that he had not been there for her… Guilt was so much harder to bear than shame.”
I will caution that while there isn’t any graphic descriptions or scenes of abuse, physical and sexual, the topic is raised in multiple areas. While it isn’t explicit, Saville doesn’t back away from the emotional trauma that abuse inflicts. We don’t read about the abuse, but we read plenty about what it feels like to survive and move on.
“I’m not recovered. Kida like what they say about addiction; it’s really more about being in recovery. For the rest of your life. You find ways to live with it. You can’t get over it.”
Even not liking the main character, there are enough characters with significant substance that make the book enjoyable. I loved Dix and Sally. Their relationship and the honesty in which they are presented is fantastic. You can’t help but love the steady and quiet love they share. Drew is also amazing. Even as Colden’s impressions of him are annoyed or confused, you can’t help but see an outgoing and enthusiastic man anyway. And of course, Brayden’s pieces give this novel balance and depth.
The pieces on conservation and the importance of protecting the environment are well written and incredibly important. It was brilliant writing to weave this important topic into such a heavy novel without coming across as preachy or superficial. We are instead submersed into both the beauty and harshness of the wilds. It is even more skill that we can also be thrown into the same beauty and harshness of academia. The transitions between the two are seamless and natural.
Outside of my frustrations with Colden, this novel was a great story. We don’t always like facing these tougher issues in life. They are hard and they aren’t pleasant. But being able to see someone’s story through different eyes is an important lesson. In that way, Colden is a gift, because she does exactly that. She lets us learn to change our perspective. To learn how to be sympathetic, and more aware of lives other than our own. The journey we go on with her, is well worth it.
Thank you Get Red PR for sending me a copy to read and review!
April 10, 2018
Good book
November 21, 2017
This is the sequel to the excellent ‘North of Here’ but easily stands alone. It is an engaging and rewarding read.
Colden and her family live in the beautiful but challenging area of the Adirondacks in northern New York State. They love the place they live in and nurture a close sense of community with their far-flung neighbours. These are not the vacation folks who arrive to enjoy summer or Christmas week in their luxury cabins but the ones who, like them, endure the punishing weather and the demanding landscape all year round. The disadvantages are compensated for (more or less - it is a fine balance) firstly by the splendour and freedom that nature has so abundantly given in that area and secondly by that close connection of one person with another which can make or break life in the wilderness, or, indeed, anywhere.
Saville’s exploration of her characters’ need for relationship is profound and sensitive. Colden’s relationship with her father is beautifully depicted; she depends on him absolutely and he never lets her down. He is everything to her but, somehow, not quite enough. Her adoptive Mum is also a good friend, but the void left by Colden’s birth mother proves surprisingly deep, resting place of an anger which has subconsciously been eating at Colden for years. The potential for our closest relationships to wound as well as affirm us is further explored through Brayden, who has run away from a bad family situation. Drew - hotshot lawyer - is also struggling to deal with the ghosts of a relationship which should have been positive, but turned out to be negative.
The story is set amongst and propelled by the natural world - another good thing which can turn suddenly and surprisingly bad. Laurel Saville’s descriptions of its rawness, hostility and beauty are simply stunning. Landscape becomes much more than just a vivid setting, it drives the story forward, tests and illuminates the characters and also serves as a sort of metaphor for the self. The more Colden travels into the heart of the forest, the better she is forced to face and able to understand herself. It makes her to confront her limitations and confirms her in her strengths. She is independent and incredibly capable - but chronically lonely. Brayden, the young man hiding out in the forest, finds peace and safety there - he is more than able to subsist - but, like Colden, he comes to see that the wilderness cannot provide the one thing that, as humans, we all need - relationship.
The language, throughout, is simply soaring
Colden and her family live in the beautiful but challenging area of the Adirondacks in northern New York State. They love the place they live in and nurture a close sense of community with their far-flung neighbours. These are not the vacation folks who arrive to enjoy summer or Christmas week in their luxury cabins but the ones who, like them, endure the punishing weather and the demanding landscape all year round. The disadvantages are compensated for (more or less - it is a fine balance) firstly by the splendour and freedom that nature has so abundantly given in that area and secondly by that close connection of one person with another which can make or break life in the wilderness, or, indeed, anywhere.
Saville’s exploration of her characters’ need for relationship is profound and sensitive. Colden’s relationship with her father is beautifully depicted; she depends on him absolutely and he never lets her down. He is everything to her but, somehow, not quite enough. Her adoptive Mum is also a good friend, but the void left by Colden’s birth mother proves surprisingly deep, resting place of an anger which has subconsciously been eating at Colden for years. The potential for our closest relationships to wound as well as affirm us is further explored through Brayden, who has run away from a bad family situation. Drew - hotshot lawyer - is also struggling to deal with the ghosts of a relationship which should have been positive, but turned out to be negative.
The story is set amongst and propelled by the natural world - another good thing which can turn suddenly and surprisingly bad. Laurel Saville’s descriptions of its rawness, hostility and beauty are simply stunning. Landscape becomes much more than just a vivid setting, it drives the story forward, tests and illuminates the characters and also serves as a sort of metaphor for the self. The more Colden travels into the heart of the forest, the better she is forced to face and able to understand herself. It makes her to confront her limitations and confirms her in her strengths. She is independent and incredibly capable - but chronically lonely. Brayden, the young man hiding out in the forest, finds peace and safety there - he is more than able to subsist - but, like Colden, he comes to see that the wilderness cannot provide the one thing that, as humans, we all need - relationship.
The language, throughout, is simply soaring
August 14, 2017
Beneath the Trees by author Laurel Saville is another book you will want to read if you have read North of Here. The story follows Colden McComb as she is working on a biological project through the Adirondack mountains. She is tracking the movements of moose and beaver but has a secret project of her own, the coy-wolf. She hopes to find any information that would indicate this breed has migrated from Canada to these dense mountains.
Colden prefers to be alone and is distressed as she receives strange emails with offensive images and suggestive behaviors. Could this be from Larry the one guy in her department who seems to resent her? What about the thefts and vandalism which has come to her attention, is it obnoxious kids or could it be the actions of conservationist protestors?
This is a story about being in the wonderful wilderness and being comfortable and safe with the laws of nature. It is also a story of family…not just one loving family, but of other families who live each day with a different set of problems.
And meet Drew… I hope we later read more about Colden and Drew!
Colden prefers to be alone and is distressed as she receives strange emails with offensive images and suggestive behaviors. Could this be from Larry the one guy in her department who seems to resent her? What about the thefts and vandalism which has come to her attention, is it obnoxious kids or could it be the actions of conservationist protestors?
This is a story about being in the wonderful wilderness and being comfortable and safe with the laws of nature. It is also a story of family…not just one loving family, but of other families who live each day with a different set of problems.
And meet Drew… I hope we later read more about Colden and Drew!
May 6, 2020
What do I love about Laurel Saville’s stories? They’re about real people with real imperfections who deal with interesting, but real problems. She’s a writer who masters flawed characters and puts them in morally and ethically situations where one can easily see both sides of the coin. And the story never ends the way I think it’s going to. Once started, a Laurel Saville novel is hard to put down. Beneath the Trees is a sequel to the brilliant North of Here novel, only two decades later. The Adirondacks provide a setting that invites mystery and intrigue and the story is built on a suspenseful but super human plot. Saville perfectly created Colden to be the daughter of woods-wise father, Dix and sadly flawed but good-hearted mother, Miranda. The bonus is that if you enjoy the outdoors and are interested in learning what a wildlife biologist does, you will learn a lot! I enjoyed everything about this book. The characters, setting, plot and beautiful writing.
July 28, 2017
For those of you who love the outdoors, this promising book is right up your alley. I loved the descriptions of the mountains, the hiking and the animals that make this beautiful place their home.
An interesting character searching for answers both within and without herself in a setting that will make you want to move there.
Enjoy!
An interesting character searching for answers both within and without herself in a setting that will make you want to move there.
Enjoy!
January 17, 2019
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It was very detailed. Made me feel like I was with Colden in the woods and on her hikes. It was a touching story. The characters were very real to life, and made me like the story even more! I hadn’t read the first book, but I didn’t feel like I needed to. I will, however look for Laurel Saville’s other books.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very detailed. Made me feel like I was with Colden in the woods and on her hikes. It was a touching story. The characters were very real to life, and made me like the story even more! I hadn’t read the first book, but I didn’t feel like I needed to. I will, however look for Laurel Saville’s other books.
March 31, 2018
Gorgeous, Quiet Book that Packs a Punch
Flawless, understated prose. Private and shared epiphanies rather than great revelations.
I cried at least half a dozen times. At least half of my tears were joyous. I grew to love the people who inhabit Saville's world.
Wonderful.
Flawless, understated prose. Private and shared epiphanies rather than great revelations.
I cried at least half a dozen times. At least half of my tears were joyous. I grew to love the people who inhabit Saville's world.
Wonderful.
August 15, 2017
Great read!
Great characters! I felt like I was in the Adirondacks with them. Loved the ending, hope to hear more about Drew and Colden in the future.
Great characters! I felt like I was in the Adirondacks with them. Loved the ending, hope to hear more about Drew and Colden in the future.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews