Book Review of
Shelterwood

Lynn's Review

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is a literary fiction book published in 2024.

Lisa Wingate has done it again with her fantastic writing of Shelterwood. It is no secret that I love Lisa Wingate’s books. I read Before We Were Yours shortly after it came out and am slowly reading through her books. 

When I discovered that Shelterwood was set in Oklahoma, where I have lived for thirty years, I knew I wanted to read it. 

Lisa Wingate grew up in Oklahoma, about an hour from where I live. She knows Oklahoma and its history well. 

The book’s setting, Southeast Oklahoma, is only a couple of hours from where I live, and in my opinion, it is the most beautiful part of Oklahoma. Lisa Wingate’s description of this part of Oklahoma is so well done. 

This book has two time periods. 1909 and 1990. 

In 1909, eleven-year-old Olive knew her stepfather was no good. He did not have good intentions toward the two Choctaw girls who lived with them. When the oldest girl disappeared, Olive ran away with Nessa on a journey to the Winding Stair Mountains. 

In 1990, National Park Ranger Valerie moved to Oklahoma to start a new life as a single parent. But not everyone is happy that she is there, especially when she asks questions about the past. 

This book follows the history of the Choctaws and the difficulties they faced in the early 1900s when men took advantage of young children to gain control of their Choctaw land and money. 

Many people compare this book to the well-known nonfiction book Killers of the Flower Moon, and I agree, it is a lot like that book. 

However, it isn’t quite the same. Killers of the Flower Moon is about the Osaage Nation in Northern Oklahoma. Shelterwood is about the Choctaws in SE Oklahoma.

So although there are some similarities, they are about two totally different groups of Native Americans, and they are set in two different parts of Oklahoma. 

The injustices done to both tribes are similar and they are stories that must be told. 

Lisa Wingate did an excellent job of writing about Oklahoma, its people, and its past. Her descriptions of the land, the weather, and the people make you feel like you are in southern Oklahoma. 

This book is about Oklahoma, its people, and its history. It is also about family and friendship and has a mystery weaved into the storyline.

Shelterwood is listed on Amazon as friendship fiction and literary fiction. I would consider it historical fiction, especially since one of the timelines is over one hundred years old, and the second one is over thirty years old. Sometimes, I can’t figure out why they put books in the categories they do.