Thorstad's memoir is set mostly in the barren prairie of western North Dakota, where hardship and heartbreak are mirrored in the landscape. Via letters to her sister, Knapp shows us how living with loss, abuse, divorce, poverty, and domestic violence can give us life lessons. After each letter, Knapp relates stories about living in twenty different houses in her first twenty-one years. This is a meditation on what it means to love, lose, accept, and negotiate fate's obstacle courses. Knapp's towns and landscapes change from the sweet safe '40s and '50s to a chaotic world today caused by a blistering oil boom. Throughout, we learn tidbits on North Dakota's and our nation's histories, the Norwegian immigration and their early mores and traditions, and how family can provide a safety net, blinding us together. Ultimately, Scoria Roads is a profound affirmation of the importance of hope, love, caring teachers, resiliency, and extended family.
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