WINNER, Ellen Meloy Desert Writers AwardWINNER, WILLA in Original Softcover FictionHONOREE, indieB.R.A.G. Medallion in Fiction"A fresh female voice and a bold take on environmental awareness. Great read!” —Women Writing the WestFrom Rebecca Lawton, award-winning author of Reading Water, The Oasis This Time, and other literary favorites, Junction, Utah, is a many-layered story of love, family, and home.River guide Madeline Kruse has to choose. As she navigates the rushing waters of Utah’s rivers, she can't help but feel a sense of freedom and escape from her painful past. But when she arrives in the small town of Junction, she realizes that its wild and rugged landscape may may offer more than just a temporary refuge. As she meets alfalfa farmer Chris Sorensen, she discovers a kindred spirit and a possible chance at a life by the river. But just as Maddie begins to let herself hope for a future in Junction, outside forces threaten the land and people she has come to love. Will she choose to return to her roots and confront her past, or will she fight to protect the very waters that make up Utah’s lifeblood?Fans of family and political fiction by Barbara Kingsolver, as well as readers of river nonfiction by Kevin Fedarko and Melissa Sevigny, should not miss this gripping, engaging novel—a book proving only more relevant with time.