Shelter

Off the Grid in the Mostly Magnetic North

2017
Author:

Sarah Stonich

A northwoods exploration of family, immigration, and connection to the land

In her search for land to call her own, newly single mom Sarah Stonich seeks a sense of permanence, a legacy for her son, and a connection to her heritage. She finally builds a cabin, but when her precious patch of land is threatened, she discovers that family is no less treasured with or without a piece of earth.

How do we value the land? Through the story of her tiny cabin in the woods, Sarah Stonich suggests—even as dark clouds of something other than bad weather gather above her cherished ridge—that the truest sense of place may be found not in the ground but in our hearts.

Michael Perry, author of Population: 458, Truck: A Love Story, and Coop: A Family, a Farm, and the Pursuit of One Good Egg

In her search for land to call her own—among tall pines and on a lake—newly single mom Sarah Stonich seeks a sense of permanence, a legacy for her son, and a connection to her heritage. Along this way, Stonich recalls family lore, meets remarkable characters, considers another go at love, and, finally, builds a cabin. But when her precious patch of land is threatened, she discovers that family is no less treasured with or without a piece of earth.

Sarah Stonich is author of the critically acclaimed novels Vacationland (Minnesota, 2013), The Ice Chorus, and These Granite Islands (Minnesota, 2013) as well as Fishing with RayAnne (writing as Ava Finch). The founder of WordStalkers.com, she lives in Minneapolis in a repurposed flour mill.

Stonich shines in her intimate portraits of the northern Minnesota experience. [Her] descriptions of the natural assets of this region are as gorgeous and detailed as a spider’s web at dawn.

Minneapolis–St. Paul Star Tribune

At times an adventure story, a sweet romance, and a laugh-out-loud monologue, Stonich’s memoir is an ode to family, homeland, and Mother Nature. Shelter is the kind of book that will cling determinedly to memories as a welcome stowaway on our own Northwoods pilgrimages.

Lindsay O’Brien, Duluth News Tribune

In Shelter, I found a poetic memoir, a genealogical trip, and a picturesque travelogue that is absorbing to the last page.

Story Circle Book Reviews

How do we value the land? Through the story of her tiny cabin in the woods, Sarah Stonich suggests—even as dark clouds of something other than bad weather gather above her cherished ridge—that the truest sense of place may be found not in the ground but in our hearts.

Michael Perry, author of Population: 458, Truck: A Love Story, and Coop: A Family, a Farm, and the Pursuit of One Good Egg

This single mom instills in us the love of the land and the people who are a part of it.

Lake Superior Magazine