Bitterwood Commons

Author

Marieke Mitchell

Call Number

• FICTION MITC (CEN)

Publication Information

United States : Marieke Mitchell, [2019]

Physical Description

318 pages ; 23 cm

Summary

After the untimely and tragic death of Emma Barker's son, she begins to lead a destructive and reclusive lifestyle. The auction company that she jointly owns with her ex-husband discovers an extremely alluring necklace and box of letters dating back to the turn of the century. Emma is overtaken by the beauty of the prose in the letters and the rarity of the necklace and wants to believe that the items in the box were meant especially for her. Mystifying messages begin to infiltrate Emma's subconscious, urging her to join Arie, the man responsible for writing these poetic, beautiful sonnets from yesteryear! Suddenly her life has purpose. Emma's travels take her to the prairie, to rural Indiana, the location of the estate where the letters and necklace were found. Upon meeting an old woman suffering from dementia and her daughter, she learns of gruesome events that took place in this town around the time these letters were written. Everything eerily begins to fall into place after the introduction to the elderly woman's 100- year-old-friend, who remembers the horrifying screams she experienced as a child coming from what the townspeople called the phantom of Bitterwood Commons. She also makes Emma aware of exotic, rare flowers appearing for approximately 2 years prior to a horrendous gazebo fire that claimed the life of Natalia Kappan, a beautiful, troubled woman who many claimed to be possessed. Natalia was known to circle the gazebo reciting a mysterious chant as she went: "The stones upon foundation stand for sun to prism onto land. And if you're in the perfect place, you'll be transported to another place." Now Emma's mind and soul can think of nothing but being in this bygone era, solving the mysteries, and living the life of this woman who was wooed by these emotional love letters. This story is a trek through unexplained events from a century before us and will take you both mind and spirit to another dimension in time. It will make you hunger to find your true companion, distinguish what true friendship is, and seek everlasting peace and love as you become intermingled through the lives of Emma Barker and Natalia Kappan. In the midst of desperate and tragic events, hope and love prevail, and it is revealed through many of the character's lives how everything finds its way to fruition through faith.