This Tender Land is a coming-of-age novel by American author William Kent Krueger. Published in 2019 by Atria Books and Simon & Schuster, the novel is set during the Great Depression in 1932. Five children get on a canoe and set sail on the great Mississippi River in search of a better life elsewhere, escaping the poverty and hopelessness back home. Through this adventurous journey, they come across life-changing people and landscapes that help them understand the shared dreams and struggles of American society.
The author showcases the world through the eyes of a young boy who sees the good in everything he sets his eyes on. It transforms the reader into that young boy who is full of hope and life and despite the hardships that they come across, they still want to push forward. The writing is graceful, and the characters are very welcoming.
This Tender Land takes you across the heartlands of America away from the chaos of city life and into the inner-working of America where real people live everyday life with the utmost joy, satisfaction, and will to live life to the fullest. Set in the worst period in human history, Krueger finds a way to keep the reader oblivious of the fact that these characters are smack in the middle of an economic fallout that destroyed families and communities.
