As expected from this author, her new book is very much of the present moment in America. It's told in two time periods: 1871, and 2016, in the same house in the same small town, and describes how little human nature has changed in that time. In the historical section, which alternates chapters with the contemporary thread, a young science teacher is struggling against ostracism in the town for daring to teach Darwin's new theories. In 2016, a woman tries to hold on to her family's shattered life, against America's appalling health care system, and an uncaring political and economic world. It's a pretty downbeat book, but ultimately a hopeful one - human connection will always give hope.