It’s been a while since a book took my breath away. Whew. How fortunate I am to live in a world where My Home is on the Mountain by Caro Clarke can be held against my fingertips. This may be the first book I’ve ever re-read immediately upon finishing. The text was really just that fruitful.
Here’s a small summary—
Cecilia Howison, a wealthy, independent young southern woman, was driving up the mountain when her radiator overheated. In the meadow, along a water stream, laid the sleeping Airey Fitch, a mountain woman with a violin beside her. Cecilia is struck by Airey’s appearance, but once she hears her music, an even greater passion rages inside her. Airey’s talent for the violin is one Cecilia can’t ignore, nor her growing attraction. Cecilia strives to bring Airey’s talents to light, while Airey readies herself for a life in which her passion can be pursued. Love blooms along the mountain side, scaling the edge of society’s acceptance, as Cecilia and Airey dream and wonder at a future only slightly out of reach.
This story is set in 1931 Tennessee and the dialect of each character reflects whether we’re in the mountain or at a high society event. There’s some superb dialogue in this book. Some of Airey’s lines really blew me away, like: “Turns out I’m like a fly thinking it knows a cow from sitting on one ear” and “Sometimes when I’m playing Bach or Louisburg Blues or Stardust or anything, and the shape’s right and I’m inside the music like mist in a cloud, sometimes I get to where my next breath could be drawn at the foot of the Throne.” My favorite is from Cecilia, but I don’t want to spoil it. Or the scene where they’re discussing marriage and freedom and happiness in a magical, wet incave—a beautiful depiction of nature. There’s so much beauty in this book.
These two woman were captivating to read. Cecilia had so much command and confidence. I love that she already accepted who she was, and how homosexuality wasn’t dealt with as a shame for the characters. This was probably one of my favorite portrayals of religion in literature. We see Airey use it for guidance and moral structure, but it doesn’t inhibit a more progressive thought process. Although the story turns on the relationship between these two, there are other conflicts that get addressed in turn. I would say though that once intimacy is ignited, there’s a wide breadth of discovery set in domestic mountainside bliss.
The love story, which is utterly brilliant, doesn’t do all the heavy lifting in terms of passion. The description of music here, and nature, are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. If I was ever so close to hearing a song with my eyes. Really, My Home is one the Mountain is a treat. Something to savor, if possible. I cannot recommend it enough.