"The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass" by Katie Powner

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Pete Ryman considers himself barely above the refuse he collects every day. A mother who left him, a sister he's disappointed, a string of rash choices made from emotions he didn't know how to handle. At least being a trash collector allows him some self-sufficiency in his middle age without having to interact much with the public. All he needs is his potbellied pig Pearl and Windy Ray, his one friend.

There's something inside Pete that I don't think he even realizes. He has the ability to see the things others overlook or even discard and find the value and beauty in them. Whether that was rescuing Pearl after she was dumped at the landfill, nabbing what someone has put out with their trash and restoring it to give to someone in need, or even the way he looks at the people in the town of Sleeping Grass. He sees a part of them that no one else sees.

So it is with Windy Ray, with Wilma, with Lily and Dani and Braedon. As each one enters his life, Pete sees the good and is willing to give his all to promote the safety and well-being of each vulnerable one.

This novel invites you into Sleeping Grass and quickly grabs hold of your heart. Real world griefs, regrets, and hope spill out over the pages for Pete and his friends. People whom others overlook and even reject hold great value. Just like life, things in this story are not tied up in a neat bow, but I think that stirs my heart even more.

I highly recommend this and all of Katie Powner's other novels. They'll make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you thinking long after you turn the last page.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.