THE VALLEY OF SAGE AND JUNIPER

Two sisters in the early 20th century brave cruel men and a loathsome religious commune in this debut novel.

Genesis and Isaiah live on a family ranch situated somewhere in a mountainous region. The girls aren’t regular churchgoers, and only their devout mother takes a shine to their small town’s new preacher, Leader. She even follows him when he moves his church to a “village” of cabins called the Community. The sisters stay with their father and their grandmother, but their mom eventually comes back for them. The Community proves to be a wretched place. Leader beds nearly every female member while his congregation routinely condemns women as “harlots.” He’s clearly priming Genesis even though she is barely a teen. Although the sisters escape and return to the ranch, they struggle with truly leaving the vile commune behind. Isaiah finds herself stuck in a dangerous love-hate relationship with Leader’s son. As the years pass, the sisters run into their share of domineering and threatening men, not all of whom belong to the Community. Genesis and Isaiah can handle themselves when confrontations turn physical, which happens far too often. Galloway’s grim tale builds an intriguing history, covering more than 15 years. The girls’ grandfather, for example, was a notorious outlaw who used pilfered money to buy the ranch. Much of the gripping story feels ominous, with the Community’s black cloud constantly hovering. Similarly, Isaiah senses people’s impending deaths, an apparent ability that the author incorporates with deft subtlety. In addition, the prose highlighting the sisters’ alternating first-person narratives resonates. At one point, Genesis muses: “Breaths in steaming bursts, bones grinding on wood. Flesh and hot, sleek skin. I felt unlocked and unburdened, something in me set free.” Despite the gloom throughout, hope continuously sparkles, as Genesis and Isaiah’s bond seems unbreakable, even when they fight and one sister welcomes romance into her life.

A riveting tale of impressive siblings battling oppression.