Theresa Verboort

The Communing Tree Theresa Verboort

It is 1979 and sixteen-year-old Judith's survivalist father has never been so relaxed and cheerful since he returned from Vietnam with a debilitating case of PTSD. The eight years he and his family have spent hidden deep in the Kalmiopsis wilderness of Oregon have been good for him. Unfortunately none of them have any idea that disaster is about to strike. While camping away from their cabin, Judith and her younger sister, Kali, witness the murder of their parents and older brother. Afraid of being tracked down by the killers, the girls escape to their family's isolated cabin, occupied by their grandmother. As Judith cares for a now mute Kali, the girls struggle to survive, especially after their Gramma dies. Throughout their trials, they often find comfort under the special tree that shelters their grandmother's grave. But when a secretive visitor brings them aid, only time will tell if they will uncover the identity of their guardian angel and find a way to return to the outside world-or be alone forever. The Communing Tree is a novel about courage, persistence, and survival as two sisters are forced to face a perilous new life alone in the wilderness.