The Clearing

Author:  Heather Davis

Publishing:  Graphia

Pages:  215

Summary:   For Amy, life in Seattle has become unbearable due to a toxic ex boyfriend.  After escaping the abuse of her high school sweetheart Mat, all of her friends have turned on her, leaving her utterly alone.  With her mother newly married, Amy feels like a burden and decides to trade in the hustle and bustle of city life for a peaceful existence in the country with her great aunt Mae.  Out in Rocksville, its like a completely different world.  There is only one strip of retail stores and it's green hills are peppered with small farms.  Life in this one horse town is so much simpler, or so Amy is led to believe until she meets Henry.  A good, old fashioned farm boy with Southern values, he lives just beyond the misty clearing.  But there's something not quite right with Henry.  He never leaves the farm he and his family call home, and speaks as though he is from another time.  Nevertheless, Amy feels an undeniable attraction to him despite being hurt in the past.  Henry has a gentle personality and she finds herself beginning to heal.  But when Henry's secret is revealed, her perfect fantasy is shattered.  She and  Henry can never be together.  Separated across time, but bonded by true love, the two must fight to save what matters most- each other.

Review: Heather Davis treats readers with an enchanting experience they will never forget.  An expertly assembled love story, The Clearing is, in my opinion, a better take on the concept of Tuck Everlasting.  The main difference lies in The Clearing's characters likability.  Henry is a perfect gentleman, and represents all the old fashioned qualities any modern girl would die to have in a boyfriend.  Amy is a broken down girl trying to heal her damaged heart, something everyone who's ever been in love can identify with.  In a way, her journey mimics that of Bella in Twilight.   An awkward girl moves from a big city to a small town so her mom can live a new life with her husband.  She doesn't make many friends at her high school and makes the acquaintance of a mysterious boy from another time.  Yet, unlike Bella, Amy isn't one to whine about her situation, instead choosing to look for a solution to her dilemma rather than brood over it.  Davis writes with an honesty that will really speak to her targeted teenage audience, making them rethink what they know about true love.   She approaches the tough topic of dating violence in a way that addresses the problem without preaching to the choir.  At a little over 200 pages, The Clearing is just the right length, and the alternating narrative allows you to view the story from all angles.  Overall, romance lovers will fall in love with this touching novel about that special person who captures our heart and refuses to let it go.