‘The Johnstown Girls’: Novel explores people, events that shape life

Cedar Rapids residents know all too well the impact of a devastating flood. So does Nina Collins, former resident of Johnstown, Pa., and the main character in Edgar Award-winning author Kathleen George's new novel, 'The Johnstown Girls,” a gripping, thoughtful novel about the events, people and memories that shape our lives.

Set in 1989, the book introduces Nina, an up-and-coming reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Standard who tags along when her colleague (and new flame) Ben is tasked with interviewing the last known survivor of the devastating 1889 Johnstown flood: a charming Ingrid Bergman-like woman named Ellen Emerson.

Despite having moved away from her hometown, Nina is still a Johnstown girl at heart: 'headstrong, patient, determined, dumb in the best possible way.” Ellen is cut from the same cloth, and she and Nina immediately connect. When Ellen reveals a secret she has kept hidden since the 1889 flood, Nina becomes determined to uncover the truth and put Ellen's mind at ease - no matter what she uncovers along the way.

A rich, moving tale about the many complicated choices we make to survive, 'The Johnstown Girls” moves smoothly among characters and time periods to provide a full picture of the horrific 1889 flood and its long-term effects - big and small.

The detail and depth of George's exposition beautifully explores the often extensive back story of each character while remaining true to the original storyline. The result is a novel that showcases the tenacity of each character to persevere over a variety of hardships, from a family scandal to learning how to be alone.

'The Johnstown Girls” shows that while one event may greatly affect a life, it does not have to define a life: because life is long, with plenty of room for reinvention - and hope.