Heart-Side Up

By Barbara Dimmick

Days pass. She grows accustomed to how the saw bursts into life. She makes it roar, quiets it, by adjustments of choke and throttle. In time, she pulls the start cord with a little flourish. Like a boy in a fairy tale with an enchanted sword, she lops off deadfall with mere touches of the blade's rotating teeth, branches the size of her thumb, her wrist, her upper arm. She finds herself ankle-deep, shin-deep, knee-deep in what she has cut, discovers that a forest takes up a whole lot more room when you cut it into pieces and pile it on the ground.

Zoe is attacked in the classroom by a bright-eyed boy who gives no warning. The searing scars from the strokes of the knife are a constant reminder that she is not safe, ever. Clutching her bottle of anti-anxiety pills, she goes to the mountains of Vermont to find Dayton, the man she lost to God years before.

Dayton is living in a controversial monastery, so isolated and extreme that the Catholic Church does not acknowledge it. Impulsively, Zoe buys a half-finished house with no running water, no heat. The only town for miles is Shroveton, whose inhabitants are immediately suspicious of Zoe's arrival and place bets as to whether or not she will last the winter. But it is here, through the back-breaking labor of felling trees, fetching water, and keeping warm-- with the help of a dog named Gus-- that Zoe is able to be near Dayton, but at a safe distance.

Strange signs of resentment and anger, however, creep into her new life. Someone leaves a gutted doe on her property, hacks off her dog's tail, and haunts her dreams. Ultimately, Zoe is forced to confront her deepest fears: bodily danger and the truth about Dayton.

In Heart-Side Up, Barbara Dimmick delves into the darkness of fear, love, and trust, and shows that prayer can be the rhythm of hard work and salvation, simply the process of surviving.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555973620
• ISBN13: 9781555973629
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Graywolf Press
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Gus is the greatest!

Loved the book, all the characters, and especially great in the "setting" department. Hated the ending for reasons that would spoil it for others. Would be good for book clubs.

Mayhem and Majesty

This author's second novel is strong, direct, and flows with seeming effortlessness. I often found myself reading sentences over and over because they are so beautiful. The maelstrom where Zoe and Gus are lost is simultaneously frightening and captivating. One can feel the majesty and the crystalline silence of it. The sexuality, to me, is handled just right - deftly, plainly, delicately, originally - very much better than so many other writers. In short, I highly recommend this book for the quality of the writing, the intelligence of the story, and the sheer pleasure of watching the evolution of a fine writer.

Reading at 3:00 a.m.!

If great fiction is that which connects the reader with the plot and the characters to such an extent that they leave the page and become part of our very existence, then this work is indeed, great fiction. I was mesmerized by the story's pulling me on. Zoe's spiritual questions mirrored my own and her desire to hide, as a means to cope with trauma in her life, rang true. Who can sleep when reading this book is the alternative? Strong characterization, twists and turns, a bit of mystery,and true love...Throw away the Xanax! Let's read books instead.

Bravo!

Just finished reading _Heart-Side Up._ I loved it! Zoe is a wonderful character--deep, soulful child of nature, in her body and emotions, easy to be with. All the characters are great, including Gus, who's got to be one of the best dogs in literature, the kind you could go romping through the woods with. There's heartbreak, humor, adventure, and many surprises in this novel. I couldn't put it down. Two thumbs up!