Book Review: "Old Border Road" by Susan Froderberg

Title: Old Border Road

Author: Susan Froderberg

Publisher: Little,Brown

ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0-316-09877-9, December 9, 2010

Reviewed by: Denien Robbins for Author Exposure

Katherine is only 17 years old when she meets and then marries "Son". The honeymoon ends all too quickly as they get settled into the adobe house, shared by his parents, in the middle of nowhere, Arizona. Life is hard on the ranch, especially when a drought comes and adds more work and worry for the family.

Son often makes his way into town each evening to "take care of business", leaving Katherine home with his parents. With their gentle counsel and guidance, she learns about ranch life and what it takes to make it in this desolate area. When Katherine meets the "business" that Son has been taking care of in town, she is faced with some hard choices for a girl her age.

Susan Froderberg's novel is haunting and the characters are certainly "characters". Although Old Border Road is set in modern day, the story seems to balance between the world today and one that used to be. The lead character faces many of the things in life that scare us most, leaving the reader to mull over what their own choices might have been in similar circumstances.