Who We Were
A Novel by Jeanette Huffman
Some love stories don't begin with fireworks.
They begin quietly-in fields of potatoes, handwritten letters, and glances that linger longer than they should.
Set in the rural Midwest during a time when faith, family, and hard work shaped everyday life, Who We Were is a sweeping, intimate novel about first love, generational bonds, and the moments that define us long before we realize their meaning.
Anna Wright grows up in a large Catholic farm family in Paw Paw, Michigan, surrounded by siblings, responsibility, and deeply rooted tradition. Her life feels predictable, safe, and full-until the arrival of a migrant family who follows the harvest year after year begins to change the shape of her world.
Among them is Neal Logsdon, a quiet, determined boy whose family lives between places, working the fields and chasing opportunity wherever it appears. Their connection begins simply-through chance meetings, letters never meant to be read, and moments stolen at festivals and family gatherings-but grows into something neither of them can ignore.
As the years pass, Who We Were follows Anna and Neal through adolescence, faith, separation, and the weight of expectations placed upon them by family, society, and circumstance. Around them, mothers hold families together with quiet strength, fathers work the land with worn hands, and siblings learn loyalty, sacrifice, and humor in the face of hardship.
This is a story about:
First love that refuses to fade
Families bound by blood, faith, and survival
The beauty and hardship of rural American life
The ache of becoming who you are meant to be
Tender, nostalgic, and richly detailed, Who We Were captures a time when love letters were handwritten, children ran barefoot through fields, and life was shaped by community as much as choice.
For readers who love heartfelt, character-driven novels rooted in family, faith, and slow-burn romance, this book offers a deeply human story-one that asks:
How much of who we become is shaped by where we come from?
And what happens when love arrives before we're ready to name it?
Who We Were is a tribute to enduring love, to the families who shape us, and to the versions of ourselves we carry forward-whether we want to or not.
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