Where the Lost Wander: A Novel

by Amy Harmon

In this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss.

The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.

But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together.

When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save each other, and eventually…make peace with who they are.

• ISBN10: 1542017963
• ISBN13: 9781542017961
• Publish Date: 28 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing
• Imprint: Lake Union Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 348
• Language: English

Reviews

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

**Trigger warning for violence, including rape

I love The Oregon Trail and I want all the books about it. I legit think I could read about it forever and not get bored. Also, this happens to be my first Amy Harmon book, but I promise not my last! In this book, the author takes us on the journey that main characters Naomi and John are undertaking via the Trail. And the author pulls absolutely no punches here- this book is as brutal as life on the trail was. There are absolutely lighter moments, but the darker, difficult ones are in full force.

The huge focus on family was one of my favorite aspects. While John has a more complicated relationship with his own family, Naomi adores hers and is extremely close to them. And I love to see that! Naomi's mother is one of my favorite characters, and I also loved every single one of her brothers. And of course, I loved Naomi! She had such a great spirit and was such a perfect character to take this journey with. John loved his family as well, but things were far more complicated. Born to a Native mother who passed away when he was young and a white father that he didn't know until his mother's death, he had a lot to work through. His father and stepmother loved and cared for him, but again, there is a lot for him to work out within himself and in regards to his family.

And of course the romance was phenomenal. It's a lovely slow burn, even though it's clear there are sparks from the first time our main characters meet. The scary part is, because it's the Oregon Trail, because the prologue literally opens with the danger befalling our characters, we have no idea when, or even if the romance will come to full fruition. And that's the crux of it: No one knows if they'll have tomorrow. I suppose the same can be said for any of us at any time, but it's magnified during an undertaking such as this.

The characters deal with so much fear and loss and heartache along the journey, but they also have moments of happiness and triumph and growth. I felt all the emotions with them, and cheered for them every perilous step of the way.

Bottom Line: Incredibly emotional, accurately treacherous, and so full of love of every kind, this is a journey I won't soon forget.