Days of Sun and Shadow

Summary

Unsentimental yet filled with hope and lyricism, and spanning some of the most turbulent decades in American history, this vividly written novel from the author of The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree follows a young woman born with uncanny abilities as she fights for independence and her future.

Alabama, 1813: In the midst of the battle and massacre at Fort Mims, a baby is born. It’s a portentous beginning for Emilie McCain, who has inherited the Sight—visions that come in dreams guided by an owl. Owl is Emilie’s steadfast companion, a welcome balance to her mother’s neglect. Along with the Sight, Emilie possesses an innate talent for communicating with horses. In an era when a woman legally belongs to her husband, such gifts may be the only things that are hers to keep.

The family makes a perilous move to Arkansas Territory, where Emilie becomes a master horse trainer and leatherworker. For all her skill with horses, Emilie sometimes fails to see the dark truth about the people she encounters. Other dangers, even when predicted, may be impossible to defend against—yellow fever, greed, vengeance, and the unforgiving land itself.

Through love, marriage, heartache, and hardship, Emilie gains strength and resilience. After years of avoiding emotional entanglements, she meets a man who presents her with a horse to be trained and an offer of friendship she could sorely use. But with his arrival come other tests of her will and her judgment. Finally, a shocking revelation inspires an act beyond her imagining—and may set her free to find the place she truly belongs …