IN SIGHT OF THE MOUNTAIN

A debut historical novel focuses on an adventurous young woman living in Seattle before and after Washington Territory was granted statehood.

It is 1889, and Anna Gallagher is 19 years old. As a child, she was brought to Seattle by her grandfather Oscar after her parents and grandmother died of smallpox in Ireland. Oscar owns a bookshop in town and Anna works for him. Her grandfather wants to find her a suitable husband to secure her a stable future, but the independent Anna has her own agenda. She craves travel and excitement; she is not ready to be tied down by marriage. Her most passionate dream is to be the first woman to scale Mount Rainier: “She’d always wanted to travel around Washington Territory, or take to the sea like her brother Levi, even though it wouldn’t be proper. Every time she looked up at that mountain, it was as if it was daring her to do something great.” When an explosion and fire race through Seattle’s main shopping street, shutting down all businesses, Anna has time to indulge in one of her favorite pastimes: long walks in the woods. There she meets Heather, a member of the Duwamish tribe, who lives off-reservation with her baby and grandmother in a cabin deep in the woods. The developing friendship between these two young women, a relationship that infuriates Anna’s bigoted grandfather, is the connection point for several intriguing plotlines that run through the charming narrative—a treasure hunt for a hidden emerald ring; the protagonist’s training to join a climbing expedition up Mount Rainier; and the issue of Seattle’s reprehensible treatment of Native Americans. Navigating around one or two suitable eligible bachelors, the spirited Anna makes secret plans to achieve her aspirations. McGillen has penned an appealing and gentle tale about relationships; Anna is more Nancy Drew than Wonder Woman. But the mystery of the ring is a satisfying puzzle, and Anna’s struggle to find her place in a society that wants to constrain her within appropriate gender roles is enhanced by the author’s attention to details—of fashion, culture, and even mountain climbing.

An engaging escapade with a feisty female lead.