Lick Creek by Brad Kessler

Set in the 1920s, Kessler's first novel concerns the advent of power lines to small town Appalachia. Like others in the community, heroine, Emily, is tempted to blame all that is wrong in her life on the new industry. Then she falls in love with Joseph, an immigrant working on the project, and is seduced by his tales of an exotic past. A tale of star-crossed lovers fighting against the odds, and a gentle swipe at the early stirrings of corporate America. Nothing high voltage, more of a capable hum.