This novel really dug in deep for me. I really enjoyed hearing the different ways this family worked and weaved through the life of being loggers. The environmental play was very interesting to me as well. I really liked the writing, and was able to fully picture these landscapes and characters. I think there are pieces in this story that could be cut out, as this was a very long novel. But overall, I was riveted from the beginning to the end.

I can’t tell you how much I loved this immersive, epic debut from Ash Davidson.
Spanning 1976-77, Damnation Spring tells a deeply human story of a Northern California logging town on the cusp of environmental change. Generations of the Gunderson family have lived on this land, and Rich and Colleen have hoped to raise a large family as well. Instead, they have one young son, but a number of miscarriages that have left them both heartbroken. Rich is in his fifties and knowing his days as a logger are numbered purchases a valuable acreage of redwoods which he hopes to harvest. But environmentalists and the park service are threatening to block Rich and save the land.
I was transported in to the forest and fell right in to the lives of Rich and Colleen. This story of a family and community watching their way of life disappear was conflicting and realistic. I loved this family. The characterizations are excellent and I felt like I really knew these people and understood them. There is suspense, joy, heartbreak, and conflict. It brought me to tears, but left me with hope. It’s a gorgeous debut.
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