Nature
Deanna Wolf is a ranger and a biologist in Zebulon National Forest. She takes care of the natural habitats of the animals in the forest by tracking down poachers and monitoring animal life in the wilderness. The author is very detailed when explaining her environment always portraying it with the most understanding and care for it. The book unfolds through different weather seasons always highlighting the changes and transitions.
Love, Marriage, Family and Companionship
All the characters have complicated a past and present. Deanna had been unhappily married to her college professor but now is living a solitary life while working in Appalachia as a ranger. She meets Eddie Bondo a poacher hunting coyotes, and they develop feelings toward another, despite their conflicting ideologies. Lusa was married for a while before her husband died. She is now living alone as she is trying to stay away from her husband’s family who value togetherness above all else. Lusa and her late husband Cole Widener shared a love that Lusa describes as a fairy tale. His death hits her hard, and she finds it extremely hard to move on from the love they shared. The town of Appalachia is home to just about 600 people and family is an important part of the community. Everyone living here is practically considered one family. People are very friendly, and they value their morals above all else.
