Mary McAllister has lived alone for sixty years, rarely leaving her house or meeting with anyone other than her only friend, the parish priest. From her house overlooking the sleepy Vermont town of Mill River, she pretends to herself that she is a member of the community. But she’s not, and most of the residents of Mill River think of her as rather peculiar, if they think of her at all. Everyone in this story has a secret to keep, some benign, some not so benign. In the end, a feeling of real community is kindled once all the secrets are revealed.
So far, all the books we’ve read have been intense, evoking strong emotions from the reader – either you really liked or really disliked the book. The Mill River Recluse is the first book in this challenge that left me feeling rather disappointed. Don’t get me wrong! It is a nice read and leaves you feeling a little warm and fuzzy inside. The small amount of violence is really rather subdued if you compare it to our previous book, The Last Child by John Hart. I was left feeling like it could have been much more, though, than just a nice read.