The cover of “You Belong Here Now” by Dianna Rostad.
“…it struck her that justice doesn’t come about through rules or law, but rather it rises from the courage of just one person.”
Dianna Rostad’s inaugural novel opens with Nara Stewart waiting outside the telegraph office for her very ticked-off father. The Stewart family lives on a ranch near Bull Mountain, Montana, and Papa is looking to replace the ranch foreman that Nara had to fire. Jim, a Cheyenne ranch hand who works for Mr. Stewart, would be a good fit for the job. However, due to prejudice against American Indians, Nara’s father won’t entertain the idea.
It’s 1925, and the Children’s Aid Society is sending an orphan train from New York City to Montana. Among the passengers are Charles, Patrick and Opal. Charles, a teenager whose father died in World War I Belgium, bears the emotional and physical marks of surviving life in Hell’s Kitchen; Patrick, an Irish orphan whose father also died in WWI, lost his remaining family during the Spanish flu epidemic; Opal, a diminutive girl, speaks few words and is disfigured with scars from burns to her wrists. Each person traveling with the Children’s Aid Society has a sad history, and they are all hoping for new homes and brighter futures.
Even though they start their journey as strangers, over time the three orphans form a close bond, growing to rely on each other. Charles, in particular, becomes fiercely protective of Opal. He doesn’t hesitate to protect her from danger, but his actions leave his future in jeopardy.
The orphan train stops in various towns along the route, and each child is subjected to the humiliating process of being inspected by potential parents. As the train nears the end of its journey, Charles realizes that he will not be chosen by a family, and that he will be sent back to an untenable life in New York City. He makes a desperate decision and, in the process, he is joined by Patrick and Opal. Their escape introduces them to Nara and her family, changing everyone’s lives in profound ways.
Nara and her family have not led easy lives. Ranching has its own harsh realities, and years before, the Stewarts lost their daughter, Mabel, to a tragic farming accident. That loss caused a tear in the fabric of the relationships with some of their friends, resulting in wounds that would fester years later.
In rural Montana, the tradition of eldest sons taking over the day-to-day operations from their fathers was not meant to be in the Stewart household. Since Nara’s brother, John, left the ranch to become an artist, she has stepped into his position, taking on a role that she loves. However, ranching is considered a man’s job, and Nara feels an almost-constant pressure to give up the work she loves for a life of working in the kitchen with Mama.
Destiny brings Charles, Patrick, and Opal into the Stewart’s lives. Although Nara fights it tooth and nail, she comes to appreciate the worth of each addition to the family, and they become true Stewarts in every way. Through adversity, the Stewarts fight to stay together as a family and, even though crises threaten to wreak havoc on everyone’s lives, Nara and her family overcome every obstacle.
Rostad shines the light on a number of societal matters facing Americans in 1925: Orphan children being treated like commodities; prejudice against American Indians and Irish immigrants; and sexism. Through her story, the author develops strong characters who navigate these issues to become good examples of how rural American families faced harsh challenges and succeeded.