The River

Maybe an overused descriptor, but this was propulsive and also very well crafted.

5/5

I loved the pace and the premise is super cool but the ending left me :/

I really enjoyed this book until the last chapter. Then I kind of hated it. The descriptions of the river, the trees, the canoes, and the danger reminded me of other outdoor adventure stories, like The Hatchet. It was exciting and compelling and curious. But some things were left unresolved for me. And frustrating. I listened, and the reading was excellent though.

This is an enjoyable, well-written book.
I found the plot to be slow at first but was well paced once the action started to pick up.
It contains lots of interesting themes: the violence that people are capable of; man vs. nature; the impact of choices; how a person's past colors his/her world-view.
I wish there was more development of the side characters, but for the length of the book, it is a solid read.

This book is well done, and I liked it. The author did an amazing job of describing both the setting and the events of the story in a way that drew me in and kept me in the story. The story itself is a page-turner with the right amount of description so that you understand what is going on and what the characters are feeling. Great book, would make for great book club discussions I think, as the characters dealt with so much and had quite a few moral dilemmas and decisions to make.

Heller is an excellent writer, and I loved the references to my old stomping grounds in the Fraser Valley. The mystery buff in me wanted more complete answers to what happened on the river, but my literary side appreciated the complexity and ambiguity of life.