I hate this book so much.
Everyone is horrible. You have grown people treating a child like he was the worst person ever. A literal teen comes into town and you make a terrible off handed comment. This book made me so angry. Nothing makes sense. The stupid aunt arrives at a scene with two people dead - her husband and brother in law - and her seven year old nephew shot in the neck, the first thing she does it point at him and blames him! What?? AND, and, and he is in the hospital and there is a surgery that can save his voice and they opt out of it?? What?! How does that make sense? Why wouldn't the docs take care of that when they are already FIXING THE GUN SHOT IN HIS NECK.
Everyone is horrible. Archer should have inherited the town and did everything out of spite. Build up resorts, raise rents, shut down whatever. They can all pound sand. NO ONE in the town made a single effort to get to know him. Ok, you're telling me he's crazy and to stay away but what exactly has he done? Grown out his hair and beard?? So hair dressers and barbers run the town??? I don't get that. They didn't even know he wasn't deaf!!!!
And they are both cured from their trauma through love? She, who panicked when a tarp fell on her no longer has anything to fear? They BOTH needed therapy! I do not believe that Archer could have survived 3 months in the wild. He needed some growing up. Inside, he was still a little boy... This is evidenced when he is at the club with Travis, he comes off as mentally younger than his recorded age.
I did like that she was able to communicate with him through sign. I am currently learning it and it was hard. I may have missed it, but did they say he taught himself sign? Did his uncle learn it, too? He had no one to practice with so it seems like he would have been a little rusty. I am glad that they found each other, but this book was depressing and aggravating and I'm mad I waited months for this at the library.