The Living is a mesmerizing evocation of life in the Pacific Northwest during the last decades of the 19th century, penned by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard.

This novel is a vivid narrative saturated with the themes of violence, hardship, and triumph. It paints a picture of pioneer life navigated by European settlers and Lummi natives, interwoven with tales of gold miners, friendly railroad speculators, doe-eyed sweethearts, and shifty card players.

Set in the rough settlement near Bellingham Bay, which would become the town of Whatcom, the story captures the essence of the era with its rich tapestry of characters and events. From hermits paying debts in sockeye salmon to miners tracking gold-bearing streams, the lives of these vital, ruddy men and women are brought to life.

As settlers pour in to catch the boom the railroads bring, the novel unfolds the intimate, murderous tale of three men: Clare Fishburn, John Ireland Sharp, and Beal Obenchain. Their lives intersect with the dramatic backdrop of social changes, including the expulsion of Chinese workers from the region.

The Living is not just a historical account but a tale full of adventure and timeless human experiences that will stay with you long after you close the book.

"Sometimes it all comes over me," young Abbie said to her fiancé, "that I can do big things. It's ahead of me...kind of like a light in the woods that shines and stays far away." And when I read verse or hear music...or...sing...it beckons me on, and my throat hurts with wanting to do something great."

Abbie Deal did do something great, even if it wasn't what she had dreamed of. Years later, when her children, raised in a rude sod hut, were prosperous men and women of a thriving state, she could say proudly, "I've seen everything...and I've hardly been away from this yard." I've seen the feeble beginnings of a raw state and the civilization that developed there, and I've been part of the beginning and part of the growth.

But it's funny," she added, "I was always too busy filling up the youngsters and getting patches on the overalls to notice that I was part of the epic."

A strong and vigorous picture of pioneer life. The magnificent story of a young girl who went West as a bride—and helped to build a nation.