In Zorrie, Laird Hunt takes readers through decades of his main character's struggles, joys and dreams — both realized and sacrificed. Orphaned in early 20th-century Indiana, when both her parents succumbed to diphtheria, Zorrie was left to be cared for by an aunt who her father had described as having "drunk too deeply from the cup of bitterness." An emotionally cold and intensely demanding woman more interested in raising a laborer than a child, Zorrie's aunt never allowed her niece to have fun, or even mourn the death of her family.

Despite her guardian's cruelty, Zorrie grows into a kind and hopeful young woman who is determined to find the best in any situation. When her aunt dies, leaving her nothing — not even the home she was trained to meticulously maintain, she is forced to quickly find a way to make a living in the middle of the Great Depression. Freed from ...