THE RIVER

This wilderness adventure story has all the makings of a timeless classic. The story is spare but powerful, about two college-age best friends whose canoeing trip in the backwoods of Canada goes awry as they are faced with a confluence of dangers in both natural and human form. Treacherous white water, a blazing, insatiable wildfire, and unexpected encounters with other explorers make for a suspenseful read.

I loved a lot about this book. The pace alternates from thrilling pageturner to slow-motion nature story, which I found unique and beautiful (fans of Where The Crawdads Sing may love the gorgeous descriptions of the flora and fauna of the wilderness). I thought the male friendship dynamic was lovely, revealing through dire circumstances two characters who initially seem alike but are not at all. And I very much enjoyed the timeless feel of the story, like something high school students might discuss in literature class 20 years from now, or might have read 20 years ago, minus a few modern day references.

But the ending! Without spoilers, I’ll just say that I felt cheated by it, not just in terms of plot but also its execution. The story’s conclusion felt frustrating and anticlimactic to me given the events. Nonetheless I’m very glad to have read this beautiful story and highly recommend.

Readers of The River will understand the need for heaps upon heaps of blueberries which, in the story, symbolize a canoeing trip that goes from carefree excursion to desperation for survival. I added a few raspberries to these blueberry biscuits because: cover color!