I was skeptical about this book, only because so many "serious" novelists seem to delight in gut-wrenching endings, and this one seemed ripe for such an ending. After I was assured by a friend that I wouldn't be crying at the end, I gave it a try. There were moments when it seemed to drag a bit for my taste, but some of those moments, when they were locked together in the room, may have been intended to have that effect, to bring us into the monotony of their confined lives. Even the parts that were a little slow were never terribly so, though, and the story would move on and was still enjoyable. I read this book in one day in two sittings, so the slow parts weren't THAT slow. It's a dreadful premise that is made tolerable because of the voice of the five-year-old narrator. He and Ma are beautifully complex and developed, and I think the author did a wonderful job of imagining the effects of their imprisonment and freedom on both of them. The premise could just as well have been a thriller, but this one is a character novel, not a thriller, and much more satisfying for it.

This book was an enjoyable combination of romance, mystery, and character. The characters are well drawn and likable. The mystery's primary purpose is bringing the characters together and moving them forward, not keeping readers on the edges of our seats. The romance was enough to make for a satisfying ending, but it was never predictable enough to know how it would turn out for all four main characters. I'm not a big reader of supernatural stories, but this one pulled off its magical elements well...just enough to give atmosphere, where all of it could almost be read as superstitions of the characters, but not enough to be off-putting to readers who aren't drawn to magic and ghosts. The setting in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina is fascinating and compelling and helps give this novel a feel I haven't found elsewhere. All in all, it is an easy, enjoyable read.