Come In and Cover Me

Title:  Come In and Cover Me

Author:  Gin Phillips

Publication Information:  Riverhead Books. 2012. 342 pages.

Book Source:  I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program. The book is a paperback uncorrected proof.

Favorite Quote:  "Surely no one wanted to disappear. An archaeologist sought out those who couldn't tell their own story, and then, bit by bit, she tried to tell it for them."

Come In and Cover Me is the story of Ren, or rather, it is the stories of Ren. Ren is in her thirties and an archaeologist dedicated to telling the stories of the people she studies. One aspect of this book is the story of "the artist," one Mimbre woman whose pottery Ren is tracing from different archaeological sites in the American Southwest. A second story is the love story of Ren and Silas, who is also a colleague. The third story is the story of Ren losing her brother Scott in an accident when she is twelve and the ramifications that has had for her family and her as an individual.

The books weaves together these stories as Ren learns that ultimately you have to let go of the past to move forward. She is haunted by the ghosts of the past - her brother and "the artist". Silas represents her present and possibly her future. The conflict between the two appears throughout the book. Not a new premise for a book - the past and the present. The setting in the American southwest and the descriptions of the Mimbre culture, however, add a fascinating element to the book. 

The writing style of the book is engrossing. It pulls the reader into its world. The descriptions are vivid, and the emotions brought out. An enjoyable book.