Book review by Jill Hedgecock
The River (Vintage, 2020, paperback, 272 pages, $9.39) by Peter Heller is the survivalist story of two college friends on a canoeing trip that goes horribly wrong. Both young men are skilled naturalists who are adept at fishing and foraging off the land. They also share a love of reading Western novels. But the biggest thing they have in common is a desire to be off the grid. So much so, that they don’t bring a satellite phone on their big adventure on the Maskwa River in northern Canada, a decision that they come to regret.
Wynn, a Vermont native, has a big heart and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. Jack, who grew up on a Colorado ranch sleeping under the stars, is more pragmatic and skeptical. So it is not surprising that it is Jack whose hair stands on end and gets goosebumps after seeing the distant orange glow of a massive forest fire. The duo’s encounter with two rough-around-the-edges men camping and drinking heavily also sets Jack on edge. But the weirdest experience of all happens as they paddle along a severely, fogged-in stretch of water and overhear a couple engaged a serious fight. Both the people and the shoreline are invisible in the humid, thick air. Jack has a bad feeling about proceeding with their grand adventure, but without a means to contact civilization and abort their trip, the two friends continue heading downriver.
Because two young men worry that the arguing couple might not understand how quickly fire can travel, it isn’t long before their consciences get the best of them. They turn and paddle back upstream to warn the man and woman. When they can’t find them though, Wynn and Jack return to their adventure. The next day at a pullout at the headwaters of a waterfall, a man appears paddling alone. He tells them that his wife has disappeared. What happens next will change the boys’ lives forever. The novel is more than a wildlife survival story. It’s the story of friendship, it’s a story of family, and a story of loss.
The River is a national bestseller, an Edgar Award Nominee, and an Indie Next Pick. It made the 2019 Forbes Recommended Books list, was described by the New York Times as a book to look for, and lauded as one of the best books of the year in 2019 by both Amazon and Apple.
Peter Heller is the national bestselling author of Celine and The Painter. His breakout bestseller debut, The Dog Stars, has been published in twenty-two languages. Heller is a longtime contributor to NPR, a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and Men’s Journal, and his work frequently appears in Businessweek. He was also part of the film crew in the Academy award winning film, The Cove, participating in a clandestine filming mission into the guarded dolphin-killing cove in Taiji, Japan. His memoir, Kook: What Surfing Taught Me about Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave won the National Outdoor Book Award for Literature. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in poetry and fiction and lives in Denver, Colorado.
The River is a page turner and the perfect read to lose yourself in for a long airplane ride or to curl up with on a rainy or snowy day.
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