In Ken Levine’s fourth novel The Healers, readers are taken on a multi-generational journey that follows Frances Anderson and her granddaughter Glynnis as they come to terms with their extraordinary abilities and the impact they have on those around them. This rich and poignant saga tracks the Anderson clan from homesteads in Wyoming to the magical coast of Oregon as they navigate through some seventy years of familial strife, loss, heartache, and love.
Frances is well acquainted with Glynnis’s healing abilities: she possesses them herself, and Levine brings out her parallel story through poignant flashbacks that give readers a glimpse into Frances’s absorbing history. Levine transports readers from Oregon’s coast to the mountains of Wyoming in this rich account of love and loss, and he skillfully melds the families’ history with their present-day experiences. Growing up in 1940s America, Frances was no stranger to heartbreak, and, despite her own healing skills, lost many of her closest loved ones—including her father and husband. That tragic narrative steadily underscores Glynnis’s more contemporary troubles, as she tries to grasp the limits of her own power and balance her desire to find out more about her grandmother, all while establishing her own place in the family.
Readers will relate to his artfully drawn characters, including Glynnis’s grieving mother, whose choices only seem to amplify her heartache, and Glynnis herself—thoughtful, introspective, and surprisingly docile given what’s bubbling just under the surface. The story’s ending hints at the profound impact of one’s history, and the deeper message that extraordinary gifts often come with a painful cost won’t be lost on readers.
Takeaway: A young girl comes to grips with her special gift in this era-crossing saga.
Comparable Titles: Sean Dietrich’s Stars of Alabama, Ruth Hogan’s The Keeper of Lost Things.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
