A Northern Light

Set in 1906 in the Adirondack Mountains, the story follows Mattie Gokey, a farm girl torn between a university scholarship and her obligations to her widowed father and siblings. While working at the Glenmore Hotel, Mattie receives a bundle of letters from a guest named Grace Brown shortly before the woman is found drowned in Big Moose Lake. The narrative alternates between Mattie’s daily struggles with rural poverty and the unfolding mystery of the real-life Chester Gillette murder case. Mattie uses her dictionary to learn new words daily, seeking the linguistic tools to script her own future as a writer.

This book serves young adult readers interested in the intersection of historical true crime and the sociology of early twentieth-century labor. Students of American history find a detailed look at the limitations placed on women’s education and bodily autonomy during the Edwardian era. Readers walk away with an understanding of how social class and gender expectations dictated life choices in the North Woods. It provides a technical look at the process of gathering evidence and the weight of keeping secrets in a closed community.