Emily Ruskovich’s engrossing debut novel “Idaho” absorbs the issues of love, forgiveness, and the cruelty inherent in memory loss. The narrative takes place in the untamed terrain of northern Idaho, where Ann and Wade have established a shared existence. Ann makes an effort to learn the truth regarding the fate of Wade’s first wife, Jenny, and their daughters as Wade’s memory deteriorates.
The story, which is recounted from a variety of points of view, eventually unveils the horrific crime that destroyed Wade and Jenny’s life. Ann sets out to reconstruct both her own and their lives, desperate to comprehend the family she never knew and to assume responsibility for them.