Bottomland

In Michelle Hoover's compelling second novel, Bottomland, the Hess family grapples with the lingering effects of anti-German sentiment in post-World War I Iowa. When their youngest daughters, Esther and Myrle, mysteriously disappear one night, the family embarks on a frantic search through their harsh farmland, the homes of neighbors, and the distant city of Chicago. Narrated through the perspectives of the family patriarch and his children, this haunting literary mystery explores themes of prejudice and resilience as the Hesses confront both personal and societal challenges over the years.