Unique in its writing and story, Zorrie is a memorable short book about one woman's hardships.

Zorrie is a tale of one woman's difficult life, but because she's 'normal' and even 'unremarkable', it's difficult to call her perseverance what it is. Orphaned by her parents, the girl was raised by her emotionally distant and abusive aunt in rural Indiana. She's always force into labor, though mostly emotional, by her aunt. But eventually Zorrie manages to leave work, and after a period of despair in finding herself and a job to help her survive, she gets hired at Radium Dial Company - a place where workers glow in the dark from the toxic substances, and the first place where she experiences healthy human connections in the midst of poverty.

Eventually, however, Zorrie returns to Indiana and tries to build a life for herself. But it isn't easy when you're poor and lonely and nothing seems to be permanent.

It took me a while to plow through this book because indeed, it is poetic, and some may say wordy. I wasn't the biggest fan of this style but appreciated the true uniqueness of it. And while I don't seem to have much in common with the main character, her feelings of loneliness, attempt and survival, grief and longing are universal, so I was able to relate to her deeply.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

“It was Indiana, it was the dirt she had bloomed up out of, it was who she was, what she felt, how she thought, what she knew.”

Well, that was a good story! The writing is almost sparse but conveys everything you need to know.

4☆

𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

Zorrie, orphaned when her parents die from diphtheria, raised by her bitter, elderly aunt who holds no stock with emotional displays (like tears the child sheds for her mother and father) comes of age tough as nails. In rural Indiana, “the dirt she bloomed up out of”, her life isn’t made for dreaming but constant hard- work that her Lutheran driven aunt puts all faith in. When Zorrie isn’t at school, she is tending to animals, aching from shoveling, endless sewing or forced to be the audience to her aunt’s memories about her own ruined marriage. No kind words to be found, zero praise and even less comfort and love, only slaps to weed out the weakness of tears, she is taught not to hope. It isn’t until her aunt passes away that Zorrie is finally free and yet in the terrifying position of desperately needing to find work. It is the 1930’s and there is none to be had with the Depression, so she takes what she can and makes her way to Ottawa (while fighting off advances of men) and lands on the doorstep of the Radium Dial Company.

As a hardworking Radium girl, she sits in a converted high school and paints numbers on clock faces “with luminous paint”; a job with “a greater cause”, one that helps soldiers. Glowing in the dark together, she soon becomes friends with other ‘ghost girls’ and finally lets loose and enjoys herself, despite sleeping in barns. Just like everything in her life up until then, the good times and laughter don’t last. Zorrie heeds the call of Indiana and leaves the “ghost girls” behind, remembering fondly her friend’s warmth, and that of the radium powder she carries with her. Zorrie doesn’t plant herself in one place for long, thinking to lay claim on her aunt’s property. But the place she left behind isn’t the same, people are gone and again she is forced to find work where and when she can. Through the kindness of an old couple, she finds a room and possibly even love. Could this be the place she can root herself, start a family?

Life seems to rush by, taking unexpected turns, hardships and blessings alike. One thing remains, Zorrie’s resilience. It is not, however, a life without loneliness, and one often plagued by terrible loss. Just when it seems her life is going to be fruitful, she is tested again by more turns of misfortune. Her husband enlists, and when she finds love with another man he seems to have his own crosses to bear. Will her hard-work ever pay off? Will she ever be able to rest her tired bones and bask in the glow of love? And what about that radium that was all the rage and toted as healthy stuff? Mental illness, grief, wars, hunger… this novel is told in a straight-forward manner, there aren’t pauses for pity and yet one can ache for the characters.

This tale is, at heart, about survival. It is a reminder of much harsher times and what it took to make a life with shattered remains, to keep pushing foreword despite the endless blows. It is about the yearning and longing that creeps into one’s heart even in the midst of constant struggle and how historical circumstances alter the lives of the people. No one is untouched, Zorrie isn’t the only one carry the burdens of the times. It is an emotional read but not one that wallows in misery and neither do the characters collapse into helplessness, the times wouldn’t allow it. It is a glimpse into one woman’s life, who dares to hope despite all evidence against it. It is finding pleasure where one can in the darkest of times, before shutting her eyes for good. A solid read!

Publication Date: February 9, 2021

Bloomsbury USA