Once in a while a book comes along that focuses on a subject I know absolutely nothing about, and incorporates that material into a story that both intrigues and educates the reader. Come In and Cover Me is one of those books.
Ren is an archaeologist in search of bowls made by an artist from the Mimbres people who lived in the 12th century. When she’s called to Cañada Rosa, a site in New Mexico that has found bowl sherds that could have been made by her artist, who has a very distinct style, she meets Silas, a fellow archaeologist whose specialty is the bones that are uncovered during digs.
Silas easily opens up to Ren, telling her stories of his childhood, but Ren is unable to open the door that closed on her when her brother Scott was killed in an accident. Ren never let Scott go and he often visits her, in snatches of song or gleams of light. Ren also has the ability to visualize the villages that once stood at the dig sites, and while at Cañada Rosa she has visions of 2 women – a younger woman, who she believes is the artist she’s been searching for, and an older woman who wears an apron of parrot feathers.
I admit I got a bit lost in some of the details, while I understood that Ren was focused on finding work done by her artist, it’s importance wasn’t quite clear to me. Silas and Ren have differing opinions on what may have happened with the Mimbres people in general and the two women specifically. Silas doesn’t quite believe that Ren’s visions are real and prefers to stick to the hard data, while Ren struggles between memories of her brother and the visits by the women.
I don’t know that I’d call Come In and Cover Me a page-turner, and that’s ok. The writing stands on its own merits and the story unfolds slowly but delightfully. If you’re looking for a story that’s a little different from the norm, then check out this new novel.
Nancy would be a bit freaked out to have ghosts appear to her. She writes about her 2 boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books.
The Avid Reader says
This sounds like an interesting read. I like how you say that it’s not necessarily a page turner and that’s okay… so true! Sometimes the best books aren’t.