Barrow, Montana - Present Day

Barrow, Montana holds bittersweet memories for Ellis Semple. When she was twelve, her father, Dennis, abandoned her and her mother, Paulina. For many years Paulina suffered from deep depression, with Ellis as the caregiver. Attacked and raped at seventeen, Ellis is terrified and alone when she discovers she is pregnant. One early Sunday morning, her decision made, she hikes to the old bridge that spans the river. Carefully, she removes her shoes and socks. She takes the silver compass out of her pocket, and puts it carefully in her shoe, and then she jumps. Yet things have a way of changing, and Ellis meets her ray of light.

Louie Johnson, Ellis’s eccentric neighbor, is fishing that early morning. His boat is drifting under the bridge just as Ellis jumps, and she barely misses his boat. Louie pulls her out of the water, and to make matters worse, people rush down to the riverbank, yelling that somebody jumped off the bridge. Louie tells a blatant lie, that he was knocked out of his boat and Ellis dove in to save him. This is the lowest point of Ellis’s life, yet Louie’s kindness, and the lie he tells along with the words he gives her, what you do with your life, is your choice, give Ellis the strength she needs. Those words stay with her.

Fifteen years later, Ellis, now a grieving widow, and her daughter, Hadley, return to Barrow. What ever happened to Louie? Is this a huge mistake, returning to Barrow and remembering all the old wounds? Or can Ellis turn to her faith for the strength and courage to begin a new life.

THE SILVER COMPASS follows Ellis’s life and the path she follows. Memories of her mother’s depression still haunt her. She will not shut out her daughter as her mother did her. Ellis finds living with her mother is awkward as she and Paulina work to re-connect their relationship. Her job as an LVN at Pleasant View Manor is a life changing challenge. Add to the mix that her father abruptly reappears after all these years and Paulina lets him move in; what is up with that? Then there is Louie, who is now a resident of Pleasant View Manor. Can Ellis learn why Louie does his random acts of kindness? Can Ellis weave through all the secrets, putting the past to rest, coming to love her father and have the grace to forgive him? What is the mystery of the silver compass and the words engraved on the back? Will Ellis find the true meaning, and whom was the compass meant for, if not for her?

Holly Kennedy has written a warm, compelling story that the reader will not want to put down. The story is seeped in secrets, yet Ellis is determined to find her answers. The secondary characters are enchanting, yet eccentric, adding to the emotional depth of the story. Get your hankies out and prepare to shed a tear or two. Perhaps THE SILVER COMPASS will warm your heart as it did mine.

Deborah C Jackson