Such a good debut novel!

We meet Rich Gunderson a 50something who comes from a long line of loggers. He lives off the land. It defines him and completes him, and it is a part of his family line as far back as he can remember. Colleen is his younger wife. She's a midwife, not trained but by chance, who has suffered so many miscarriages she could lose count, but doesn't. Their son Chub is a sweet little guy who rounds out their family, but she still feels something is missing and desperately wants a child.

Add in her sister Enid, her hothead husband, Eugene, and their many kids. Lark who stole my heart with is gruffness. Daniel, an older flame of Colleen's who is researching the dangers of the spray used in their area and the effects it can have on wildlife, plant life, and humans.

Rich is solidly on the side of the logging company and believes the spray is harmless and it's much ado about nothing. Colleen is not so sure. She wants to support Rich's ideals, but her own miscarriages, those of others, and the birth defects she is seeing in her job make her question.

It's a heartbreaking story about that fine line between right and wrong. When to cross. When to hold firm. This book was well written and I will definitely look for more by this new to me author. Many thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this book 3 solid stars for a few reasons. It took entirely too long to reach the climax and action- the last 100 pages are where I found myself finally unable to put the book down. I found the majority of the story hard to connect with due to the overuse of logging terminology without being explained. It would've been helpful for the author to define the word after using it or include a glossary at the end for quick reference. I feel that the story would remain true without the author giving us extremely detailed descriptions of the woods and nature, especially during Rich's chapters. I ended up connecting to the main characters towards the end, especially Lark and Colleen. I found myself wanting to have an ice cold Tab soda with Lark in his converted tree "house" and listen to his funny words of wisdom. Thanks to him, I will always watch out for potholes and a**holes 😁.

I liked the changing POV between the chapters, but it took me over half of the book to really feel like the plot was progressing anywhere. I wanted to read this knowing that literary fiction isn't my typical genre of choice and wanting to be a little more well-rounded. I still enjoyed this book, so don't let the 3-star review fool you, but this is not likely going to be a book you can read in a day or while basking on a beach somewhere.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.)

While the length and heavy jargon may seen daunting, this book is a beautiful story with strong characters that will leave you wanting more.

Please know you are entering a slow burner.

My little tree hugger self just LOVED this story. This was such an impressive novel about greed, lodging and protesting. For a debut writer, I can’t wait to see what else Ash will create. Ash created such strong moments of joy, intense moments of suspense and great heartbreak.

This novel is a little different from ones I normally flock too but it’s such a beautiful story about marriage and family resilience. The Character development is incredible and is a heart tugging piece of work.

It took a while for me to get into this novel it’s a bit slow to start but it’s definitely worth finishing in the end!

The emotionally wrenching story is set in the late 1970s in northern California. Rich Gundersen, 53, his younger wife Colleen, 34, and one kindergarten-aged son they call Chub live in Damnation Grove, the site of ancient redwoods being harvested for lumber by Rich’s employer, Sanderson Timber Company.

The company has used herbicides for decades to keep the brush down in the land surrounding the redwoods, making it faster and cheaper to log. But mudslides over the clearcut areas are increasing in frequency and danger; the salmon are dying off in the creeks; animals are marked by deformities; and worst of all, women have been suffering a series of miscarriages and births of deformed babies. But the residents are reluctant - resistant even - to blaming the herbicides, which are deemed necessary for them to make their livings.

Rich checks in regularly on Cornelius Larkin, called Lark, who was Rich’s father’s best friend. Lark had sawed the branch that clubbed Rich’s father dead after he had just turned thirty. It was, Rich said, no one’s fault but the wind’s, but still Lark carried guilt for it, and tried to be for Rich the father he no longer had. Lark suffers in other ways: in a logging accident that didn’t seem like such an “accident,” he had sustained breaks in his back, neck, and both hips. Lark was sure someone had severed the rope’s steel core enough to allow him to climb forty feet before it snapped. Before the incident he had committed the “crime” of “talking about not cutting faster than it could grow back - sustained yield before there was a name for it.” His boss Virgil Sanderson didn’t take to it kindly, calling him a communist. And then Lark’s injury happened.

Now Sanderson Timber is run by Merle Sanderson, who, like others in the area, is doing a job handed down through the generations.

Rich dreamed of the day “he’d never have to work another day for Merle Sanderson, as he had for Virgil Sanderson before him, as Rich’s father had worked for George and his granddad for Victor, all the way back for as long as men had felled redwoods.”

But he loves the redwoods, and in particular has always wanted to own some unclaimed acres of them called the 24-7 Ridge, after the redwood that dominates it. The 24-7 got its name when it was twenty-four feet, seven inches in diameter, but now it is 28-5, and three hundred seventy feet high. Rich has circled that tree every morning for the last thirty-five years, trying to figure out a way to buy that area. When the opportunity finally comes, he jumps on it, without telling Colleen; he knew she would be upset over depleting their savings and incurring more debt.

That summer in 1977, when the story begins, Rich and Colleen had barely interacted for six months. Colleen had lost another baby, miscarrying at five months. She had lost eight babies - all except for Chub, but this one made it so far along, and she was devastated. Rich was afraid of making her go through that again, so he avoided her. She blamed herself for doing something wrong. But then she ran into her old boyfriend, Daniel Bywater, a member of the Yurok tribe and now studying water quality. He has come back to the area to test for contaminant levels.

Daniel finds out that the herbicides Sanderson sprays has the same ingredients as Agent Orange, and they’re contaminated with TCDD and Dioxin - toxic not just for plants, but for animals and people. Daniel told Colleen, “They started spraying them in the fifties, all this time they’ve been bioaccumulating.” “Building up in the fish, in the deer, you eat the deer…. It runs off into the water. Whatever they spray ends up right there in your coffee mug.” “It’s nasty stuff. We’re talking birth defects, cancers.”

Loggers and their families were supposed to evince loyalty to Sanderson, and shun the hippies who came from Arcata to protest logging, and people like Daniel, who was just trying to stir up trouble, as they saw it. But Colleen, hurting so much from her losses, gave Daniel information not only about her own miscarriages but about the frequent cases of abnormalities in babies born in the area over the last six years that she saw in her work as a midwife. She also, at Daniel’s request, secretly collected and labeled their water in jars and gave them to Daniel to analyze.

Rich was upset when he found out, but Colleen countered: “What if all the babies she’d lost, what if it wasn’t anything she’d done wrong? Rich, in perhaps the most poignant passage in the book, responded: “‘That stuff is approved by the government. Why would they approve something if it wasn’t safe?’”

Chapters narrated by Rich, Colleen, and Chub present the differing points of views and nature of the conflicts roiling the area. Through this way, we also get to know the family of Colleen’s younger sister Enid, married to another logger, Eugene. Eugene is as self-serving and amoral as Merle, and his actions threaten the lives and livelihoods of everyone in the grove.

Tensions come to a head as the novel comes to a close, and readers sense tragedy is on the horizon. But the possibility for it comes from so many directions, it’s hard to predict which will be the one to break their hearts, and yours, as the story ends.

Evaluation: Davidson brings the logging industry, its workers, and idiosyncratic customs to life so thoroughly I felt as if I were watching a movie rather than reading a book. The author helps you see everything as if you were there. You also come to see both the appeal of a close-knit community that all works together, and the horror of it when you dare to break the rules. This is an outstanding book, but one that will gut you in the end.

This was definitely a love it or hate book. I read this for several reasons. Book of the Month Club, Netgalley and a buddy read on Instagram, so I think I have a decent grasp on the thoughts of fellow readers. The opinions have been 50/50 and hard core on either side. I am on the love it side like 5 stars loved it, ugly tears crying in my tea loved it. But I feel like I need to say I also 100% understand why someone wouldn’t like it. There are tough topics. Fighting, controlling male narcissisms, miscarriages, infant loss, environmental issues, gas lighting and more. But the way debut author Ash Davidson walks the reader through these issues with the characters experiences and interpretations was breath taking to me. I found the plot to roll out slowly and there was a lot of logging jargon which made it a little hard to get going at times but again I think the intense details is what made me feel so imbedded in the logging town, it’s people and the collateral damage they suffered.

Rich is a 4th generation logger with his sights set on taking care of his family by logging an area called 24/7. Colleen is his wife and midwife that can’t seem to bring her own children into this world other than her little boy Chub. Rich is a good bit older than Colleen and that may be why he took longer to come around to the truth about the horrific consequences the herbicide spray the logging company was using was doing to their town and the people. Daniel, a past resident and friend of Colleen’s comes back to town doing research on the herbicide and it’s long term effects on the people of multiple generations, past and present. When Daniel brings this issue to the people of the town and the logging companies, Colleen and Rich find themselves on opposites sides of the issue. It’s hard to see truth when that truth can disrupt your whole way of life and way to make a living.

There were so many times while reading I hated who certain characters became and I cried for the ones that didn’t feel like they had a voice. There was so much loss and sadness and hopelessness that I did have a hard time processing but I can honestly say I have not been moved this much by a book in a long time. I will take this story with me and hope I can pull strength from these people I have come to learn so much from.

Thank you Netgalley, Ash Davidson, and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a very thought provoking and moving novel. It’s very well written, and the author took a lot of time to give us endearing characters. Parts were heavy, but it is a really wonderful story. I was quite moved by it, and it is something I can picture myself reading again, and still find something enjoyable and new in it.

Thank you to Ash Davisdon, Scribner, and Netgalley for my change to read and review this book in exchange for my honest review.

Damnation Spring
By Ash Davidson

This is a book about many things: loyalty and love; poverty, lack of education, work ethic; hope and loss – life.

It is the story of a lumber town and the people who live there. It is about what a man knows, and the things he doesn't know – until the cataclysm erupts between private property and a man's right to work and the science which claims that the company is poisoning the land, the water and the people themselves.

Ms. Davidson tells this story with just the right amount of empathy for both sides, and helps the reader to understand that there is no black and white, but only the gray areas which we all must deal with throughout our lives. Thank you, Ms. Davidson, for writing a book that will put your readers more in touch with the realities of the world around us.

“It was the thing that had most surprised him about being married: half the time he didn’t know what he thought until he said it out loud to her.”

Logging is in Rich’s blood. Being a fourth-generation logger, those trees are as much a way of life to him as being a husband and a dad. This look into life in a 1970’s logging community is told through the alternating perspectives of Rich and his wife, Colleen. While Rich is focused on hard work and providing for his family, Collen is the nurturer, both to her family and other women in the community. Colleen’s longing for another child is met with bitter disappointment at miscarriage after miscarriage. As the community becomes embroiled in a battle between ecology and economy, Rich and Colleen find themselves with different perspectives on the future.

Davidson paints an adept picture of deep family bonds, hardworking people, everyday struggles, the complexities of communities in flux, and the battle to change long-term patterns of belief. I came away with a strong connection to this way of life and what a family looked like as change upended them.

While the premise of the book drew me in, the execution of the pacing fell short. This is a book that demands patience. 75% of the book is slow and steady, often bogged down in technical logging terminology. But that last 25% is satisfyingly told at a break neck speed, full of action and more acutely focused.

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson. The story of Colleen and Rich living in Redwood country as a logging family. The story line was great and believable. I felt as though I met and knew the characters and journyed with them through the story. However, in the beginning the writing seemed choppy and didn't flow. I had to go back and reread a few parts because I felt like I missed something. I'm not sure if I just wasn't used to the writer's style or if I just got used to it towards the end. I would recommend. Thank you for letting me review this book.

This novel was extremely immersive and moving. It was a nice book to sit down and take my time with over the weekend. Parts of it did drag on a bit, but overall it was an engrossing read. Thank you Netgally for providing me with an e-Arc for my review.

Rich Gundersen is following in his family’s footsteps, felling giant redwoods on California’s coast. The work is dangerous and getting worse. Rich dreams of owning his own land to work and leaving it to his only child and son, Chub.

Rich and his wife, Colleen, have known their share of heartbreak and hard times. Colleen is a self-taught midwife and desperately wants another child of her own but after 8 miscarriages, Rich is not on the same page.

In the 70’s the whole “Save the Trees” campaign was in full swing, pitting the lumber companies against the activists. Unfortunately, the lumber company and most of its employees have very few scruples or sympathy for the activists or the residents.

When Colleen begins delivering more and more babies with hideous birth defects, no one wants to hear her concerns or the concerns of an environmentalist. Even after proving they are polluting the water supply and causing cancer and deaths, they don’t care.

Trying hard to hang on to a way of life that has come to an end, Rich is now lying to his wife and people are getting hurt.

This was a good premise. I personally could not connect with Rich. He was really closed off to anything except his own wants. And Colleen, who just turned a blind eye until she could no longer stand silent.

That said this is a good look at large corporations that cut corners and pollute the same land that makes them rich.


NetGalley/ August 3rd, 2021 by Scribner

A logging community in the 1970's Pacific Northwest becomes deeply divided over environmental concerns, an epidemic of birth defects and miscarriages, and destruction of the beautiful creek that runs through the forest. The writing was so beautiful and realistic that I was carried into the story. It starts off a little rough but once I found a groove, I had trouble putting it down. I loved the main characters; their heartbreaks hurt my heart too. Damnation Spring will stay with me for a long time.

"We had a baby in November . Eamon Paul. I was in labor eleven hours with him and when he came out, the top of his skull was missing. All these people here, they know. They came to see, like he was a circus animal. He came too.” She pointed to Mr. Sanderson in his bright yellow shirt. “He brought us this.” She held up an envelope. “He sat at our kitchen table and said he was sorry for our loss. Sorry. We can all see there’s hardly any fish left in our river. Maybe that’s the dams, I don’t know. Maybe it’s logging, or ocean fishing. Or maybe the sprays are killing the fish. Are they making us sick too? Are they giving people cancer? Are they eating the brains out of our babies’ heads? You’re all thinking it, but no one has the guts to ask.”

This book is a gritty, sometimes dark, and very realistic look at rural life in California. We mostly follow a small family consisting of Colleen, her husband Rich, and their son Chub. Colleen is a midwife who has been forced to watch woman after woman deliver babies born with horrible defects. She herself has had 8 miscarriages. She and the other townspeople are told that their water is being poisoned, that is what is killing the babies. But they are in a town built on logging. Her husband works for the logging company, climbing trees. Many of the people who depend on Sanderson, the logging company, want to ignore the potential risks and continue on. Their reluctance is understandable, because they will not be able to make a living without the company, no matter the harm they are causing.

As many other reviewers have noted already, there is too much focus on logging and other side stories that are not particularly interesting. The heart of the story is Colleen and her pain, and yet the story diverts from that so many times.

Thank you netgalley and Scribner for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An environmental novel of immense proportions. This books had elements of family drama, greed, the economic effects of logging, environmental poisoning, conservation and so much more. So many topics to discuss and think about.

I did have a hard time getting into this book as it skipped around so much. The thing I really liked was that it brought to light issues about the over use of toxins and chemicals that are used to kill weeds. The book was rather long and the ending really was not a good closure to the book and left some things hanging.

Ended up buying a copy of this book to read and I’m so glad I did. I loved the storytelling, the drama, the setting, the nature aspect - all of it worked for me. Lovely and can’t wait to talk to friends about it! Would be a great book club pick!

I haven't cried like this over a book in years. There were several parts that caught me off guard, including the ending, and it really hit me like a punch in the gut. Definitely not how I wanted the end to be, but it really leaned more towards a real-life ending instead of just a "story."
The book follows a couple, Rich and Colleen, and their young son Chub, during the 70's in California. Rich is one in several generations of loggers in his family, and Colleen is a stay-at-home parent to their young son Chub. Rich and Colleen's world is upended when they start being told that the pesticide spray the logging company, and county, are spraying to keep the area clear of invasive plants, can cause all sorts of health issues. The company turns people in town against each other, as they all fight over what they believe is the truth.
The book is based on true events that occurred in the logging community's history, which includes the use of pesticides that have the same ingredients as Agent Orange. I am no foreigner when it comes to the environment, and a lot of the movements that have gone on to protect it; however, I wasn't aware of this history and turmoil in the logging towns in our country. The book definitely made me look at things different ways to help see the big picture. I really enjoyed this book, and think it was an interesting storyline to take on! I now understand why so many have enjoyed, and recommend this book!