It's 2024 in Astoria, Oregon. Celia's return to another crabbing season is over before it begins when the boat captain suffers a heart attack, hastening her decision that this would have been her final season anyway. Now all she has to do is figure out what to do next. Simple. Right.
It's 1912 In Camas, Washington. Emma is proud of her job making paper bags at the Columbia River Paper Company, but resents her family's expectations for her to also take care of her younger siblings and help with the household chores after her shift is over.
Celia and Emma are both searching for their true selves in a world where women either give in to society's and family's expectations or have the courage to create their own destiny.
A Map of Her Own navigates the lives of two women separated by generations and brought together by their strong connection to the Columbia River.
“The juxtaposition of two women’s stories provides an American tale that’s been in the shadows far too long. Montgomery has a gift for capturing the raw yearnings of women in search of identity, purpose, and meaning. Their voices spoke to me.” — Rosalind Noonan, New York Times Bestselling author of And Then She Was Gone
“Montgomery has created a well-written, engrossing, dual-time novel with a strong sense of setting. The story offers a detailed and compassionate exploration of two women’s internal conflicts as they navigate strikingly similar challenges of womanhood, economic realities, and healing, though separated by generations. Highly recommend A Map of Her Own, especially for readers interested in labor history and the history of working women.” — S.L. Stoner, author, Sage Adair, Historical Mysteries
“A Map of Her Own is an exploration of resilience and connection across generations. Blending past and present, it illuminates how women’s struggles for dignity and meaning echo across time.” — Marianne Monson, USA Today best-selling author of Frontier Grit and The Opera Sisters
Bink Book
208 pp. ● 6x9
$16.95 (pb) ● $9.99 (eb)
ISBN 978-1-960373-77-9 (pb)
FICTION / Multiple Timelines
FICTION / Places / United States
FICTION / Small Town & Rural
FICTION / Women
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Dede Montgomery is the author of My Music Man, Beyond the Ripples, and Then, Now and In-Between: Place, Memories and Loss in Oregon. Dede is a 6th generation Oregonian and lives near Portland, Oregon.
"Dede Montgomery: memoir and short stories author." Authors of the Pacific Northwest Podcast