This was a decent book, but I'm generally not a fan of magical realism, so this would've had to be something special to really get my attention. The best part of this book was the homesteading descriptions - almost like a grown-up Little House on the Prairie. I appreciated both Jack and Mabel as characters, and their quiet, desperate strength was the heart of the story for me. But whenever Faina showed up, I lost interest. 
 This was a book club choice, and I likely wouldn't have read it if not for that. It certainly wasn't bad, and I'm not sorry I read it - it's just not my thing.