The Light Through the Leaves: A Novel

Go on a powerful journey of forgiveness and healing with The Light Through the Leaves, a transcendent novel of love, loss, and self-discovery by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars

One unbearable mistake at the edge of the forest. 

In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended-for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola's abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well-into grief, guilt, and addiction. Convinced she can only do more harm to her family, Ellis leaves her husband and young sons, burying her desperate ache for her children deeper with every step into the mountain wildernesses she treks alone. 

In a remote area of Washington, a young girl named Raven keeps secrets inside, too. She must never speak to outsiders about how her mother makes miracles spring from the earth, or about her father, whose mysterious presence sometimes frightens her. Raven spends her days learning how to use her rare gifts-and more important, how to hide them. With each lesson comes a warning of what dangers lie in the world beyond her isolated haven. But despite her mother's cautions, Raven finds herself longing for something more. 

As Ellis and Raven each confront their powerful longings, their journeys will converge in unexpected and hopeful ways, pulled together by the forces of nature, love, and family.

'A unique page-turner of remarkable richness, a tale of unthinkable trauma and the powerful, steady healing to be found in the natural world. I love the women in Vanderah's novels, women who are allowed to be as flawed and raw and brave and fierce as men. And I loved the unfolding layers in this book, layers of love and disaster, secrets and longings, mothers and children, and always, nature as the steady backdrop to all life, offering the hope of renewal at all turns. Exquisite.' — Barbara O'Neal, USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids

'Glendy Vanderah's love for nature shines through in this captivating story about love and loss and carrying on in the face of tragedy. Bursting with extraordinary moments of magic and beauty, it is an enchanting story that tugged at my heartstrings from the very first page and did not let go.' — Suzanne Redfearn, bestselling author of In an Instant

“A memorable story of love’s healing power.” —Publishers Weekly

“The Light Through the Leaves opens with an unspeakable mistake and characters you think at first will never find their way back. Then, with the assured hand of a master storyteller, Vanderah weaves a deeply-moving tale of healing and redemption, catapulting the reader toward an ending that will make you believe in nature’s magic.” —Steven Rowley, bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor

“A unique page-turner of remarkable richness, a tale of unthinkable trauma and the powerful, steady healing to be found in the natural world. I love the women in Vanderah’s novels, women who are allowed to be as flawed and raw and brave and fierce as men. And I loved the unfolding layers in this book, layers of love and disaster, secrets and longings, mothers and children, and always, nature as the steady backdrop to all life, offering the hope of renewal at all turns. Exquisite.” —Barbara O’Neal, USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids

“Glendy Vanderah’s love for nature shines through in this captivating story about love and loss and carrying on in the face of tragedy. Bursting with extraordinary moments of magic and beauty, it is an enchanting story that tugged at my heartstrings from the very first page and did not let go.” —Suzanne Redfearn, bestselling author of In an Instant

“The Light Through the Leaves is simultaneously painful and perfect. Dappled with beauty and buoyed up by an undercurrent of magic—or maybe faith—it is a story to be cherished and cheered.” —Amy Harmon, New York Times bestselling author