The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah (2021)
The novel opens in 1921 in the Texas panhandle. The economy is booming and life is good. Elsa Wolcott is the eldest daughter of a wealthy family. She is, however, tall, unattractive and unmarriageable, or so her parents tell her. When she was fourteen, she suffered an illness and now her parents keep her sheltered.
One night, she meets Rafe Martinelli, a young man several years younger. She falls head-over-heels and soon her reputation is ruined. Her father demands that she marry Rafe, then her family disowns her. Elsa and Rafe begin their married life living with his parents on a farm. Although Elsa had never worked hard in her life, she soon comes to love the farm. Rafe’s parents, although disappointed that Rafe’s life has taken a turn, soon come to love Elsa as their own. For the first time, Elsa feels love.
By the mid-1930’s life has changed. Dust storms and droughts devastate farmlands. Elsa struggles to keep life going on the farm for the sake of her two young children. After one particularly bad dust storm, however, Elsa has had enough. She packs the farm’s only truck and with her children in tow, heads for California. They have heard that California is the land of milk and honey and jobs are plentiful.
Unfortunately, once they reach California, Elsa realizes that she has no idea where to turn to next. The harsh reality sets in. Californians resent the migration of “Okies”, a generic term they used to describe all migrants coming to escape the Dust Belt. The children are discriminated against in school, and hospitals will not accept the Okies. Eventually, Elsa gets a job picking cotton, but soon learns that she is paid on credit, and must use the company store for all her groceries and needs.
Workers are beginning to get restless, and the Communist party begins to organize strikes. I learned a lot about what life was like for the migrants. It was a fast read.
Read: March 27, 2021
4 stars
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