The novel follows two fictional Iowa farm women, isolated and very different neighbors who face a series of hardships together. Author Michelle Hoover says her great-grandmother’s journal, which included family photos, sparked the idea. In this luminous and unforgettable debut, Hoover explores the polarization of the human soul in times of hardship and the instinctual drive for self-preservation by whatever means necessary. The Quickening stands as a novel of lyrical precision and historical consequence, reflecting the resilience and sacrifices required even now in our modern troubled times.