Synopses & Reviews
A forensic artist confronts a crime against her own family, while MAGA politics, racism and violence rage in a small town in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho.
Set in the fictional town of Steeplejack, nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains, Hazel Mackenzie provides law enforcement with sketch art and victim reconstruction following suspected crimes. Trouble strikes twice when her husband dies in an accident and then soon after, her gay twin brother Kento is shot by a member of Steeplejack's growing anti-LBGTQ community during a gender reveal party for his child.
Secrets boil up. First an ugly secret about her late husband. Then Hazel finds letters written by her great-grandfather during the second world war when as a first-generation Japanese-American serving in the US military, the rest of the family was interned in a prison-like camp. Now, some eighty years later, the same racism and prejudice threaten to strip Kento and his husband of their basic rights to their baby. Hazel must now confront her own intergenerational trauma as she battles for herself, her brother, and a town that has been torn apart by hate.
Review
"Crystalline prose....memorable characters nimbly embody the larger cultural forces at war in contemporary America...A gripping and emotionally intelligent tale of resentment and loss." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A deep and unforgiving look into many difficult and timely issues, ranging from same sex marriage and reproductive rights to grief and bigotry. Vitello depicts nuanced human relationships with grace, dignity, and beautiful turns of phrase. The plot will rope you right in with a cadence that's accessible and engaging throughout. Don't be surprised if the book keeps you up late into the night. This is one you won't want to miss!" Jacqueline Friedland, USA Today bestselling author of He Gets That From Me
Review
"Deceptively easy to read, this book strikes at the heart of loss, and the alchemy of change. Suzy Vitello is a gifted writer with a deep understanding of people and places. Bitterroot is an exceptional novel by a great talent." Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder and Sleeping Giants
Review
"As a plot person, I could not put this book down. Talk about one surprise/revelation/unexpected turn after another. Never mind that the sex scenes were deliciously inventive. I loved the unlikely hero, Hazel, a benign name, but she draws dead and maimed bodies for a living, as the only forensic artist in the Silver Valley. 'When our father died...yellowed with cirrhosis...I chose watercolor.' Through a rollercoaster-from-hell life, and against all odds, she rises to the challenges of a family full of faults. One of the last lines: 'May we bloom where we're planted.' That's Hazel." Jan Baross, author, Bye-Bye Bakersfield
About the Author
Suzy Vitello writes and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog and occasionally one or more of their five kids. She holds an MFA from Antioch, Los Angeles, and has been a recipient of an Oregon Literary Arts grant. Her previous novels include Faultland, The Moment Before and the YA Empress Chronicles series.