Bloodroot by Amy Greene

The title for this book comes from a flower whose blood-red sap possesses the power both to heal and poison.  It is set in the natural Appalachia, where Amy Greene grew up and still lives.  The novel is about the legacies of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss that haunt one family across generations.  The women in this family struggle against abusive men and narrow values that try to destory their active spirits. 

After an accident causes the death of Myra's parents, she goes to live with her grandmother Byrd Lamb on Bloodroot Mountain.  Byrd realizes that wild Myra, with mysterious blue eyes, has "the touch", an extra sensitivity for communing with nature.   Byrd fiercely tries to protect Myra from bewitching people and animals alike.  Some of the people involved are the neighbor boy who longs for Myra yet is destined never to have her; the twins Myra is forced to abandon but who never forget their mother's love; and John Odem, the man who tries to tame Myra and meets with violent disaster.  The characters are resilient and flawed causing the reader to have an instant empathy for them.

There is a lesson to learn from this dark, riveting mystery.  People might be a product of their upbringing but they have choices.  They don't have to let thir fates be determined by where they come from or by who their parents are.