Susie Mesure

A tale of love and grim determination: Zorrie, by Laird Hunt, reviewed

Life is hard for an Indiana farm woman roaming the state for work in the 1930s — but even at the worst of times she looks for the best

Laird Hunt. [Getty Images] 
issue 22 January 2022

When Zorrie Underwood, the titular character in Laird Hunt’s deeply touching novel about an Indiana farm woman, is pregnant, a little girl asks how her baby breathes. ‘Like a fish,’ says Zorrie, which is how Hunt treats his readers, luring them with a snapshot of Zorrie’s diminishing days before reeling them in as her life unspools.

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