The River by Peter Heller
Published by Knopf Publishing Group
Publication date: March 5, 2019
IndieBound, Amazon
Books written by men and about men? No thanks. All about canoeing and camping? Hard pass. Set entirely in the wilderness? Nope. Peter Heller’s new novel, The River? 5 stars. Yes, you read that right. Nothing about this novel’s description appealed to me, but when my friend Susie recommended it I knew I had to let go of my prejudices and give it a go. 24 hours later I finished and was still reveling in Heller’s prose and the story. Feel free to click away from this post and head to the bookstore or library to get a copy now.
Wynn and Jack are two outdoor-loving college friends who decide to chuck it all for the month of August and canoe the Maskwa River in Northern Canada. They’ve brought gear for virtually every eventuality and are prepared to fish, hunt, and live off the land for their food. What they did not expect was a raging wildfire that meant they would have to change course to get to a safe place. Even worse, they did not expect finding another canoer (is that what they’re called?) who tells them his wife has been lost and he’s going for help. They had heard a couple arguing the previous day but it was foggy and they didn’t see them. Still, Jack’s instincts kick in and they double back to look for the woman. Who they find, unconscious and badly beaten.
From this precipitous point, Heller could have made The River into a straight-up thriller because the elements are there. Instead, he stays the course with lean writing about surviving in nature when everything goes wrong. Because August in northern Canada is nothing like here in the U.S. and an encroaching wildfire isn’t much bothered by a narrow river. Yes, there is a seriously injured, semi-conscious woman with them and a man who may now want to harm all of them, but Heller keeps the story focused on the details of man and nature. The immediacy of trying to find food, to avoid being burned alive, and to navigate a river to safety.
Survival may provide the tension in The River but what lifts it into its own genre of literary fiction is how beautifully Heller approaches the greater themes of life. Namely, friendship and personal responsibility. Wynn and Jack are beautifully drawn characters, each distinct in their being and yet, bonded by the joy of being young and having that one other person who understands you and has your back. This friendship is poignant and so evocative of a time in life that even if the other elements had been stripped away and this was a novel about nothing more than a canoe trip I still would have loved it and rated it the same way.
I’m so happy you loved The River as much as I did. Heller is truly a remarkable writer. I loved The Dog Stars just as much and for very similar reasons. I’m about 2/3 of the way in The Painter right now and though the wonderful writing is there, it’s slower and for me not quite as good as the other two.
It’s one of the best recommendation I’ve gotten this year. I’m adding his books to my TBR!
I LOVED this one. Heller writes so beautifully about nature and friendship, it’s such a pleasure to read.
I’ve added his entire backlist to my TBR!
I’m really glad you liked this one and hope it sends you down a Peter Heller rabbit hole. He is one of my go-to writers and I pick his stuff up without even reading what the premise is. As much as I liked this one, it still wasn’t my favorite (which says more for my favorites than this one, really, because this is some fabulous nature writing in addition to Heller’s patented character work). Have we talked about Celine? Because if we have not and you haven’t read it, UGH. The greatest.
No, we’ve never talked Heller at all! But now I have all these trusted blogger sources screaming his name at me. I’m pretty sure I’ve been ignoring you all because I just haven’t been in a place to read white male writers writing about white men since 2016.
CELINE includes one of the best female characters I’ve ever read. And she is based on Peter’s own mother. I hear you on the issue, but Peter is one of the good ones.
Got it. I know there are a few, but the dreadful ones are the ones making all the noise (and decisions) right now and I’m left rage-y. Going to the library tomorrow and if Celine is there I’m on it.
I liked the River all right too. Someone told me Celine was bad but maybe I’ll check it out …. here’s my River review at https://www.thecuecard.com/books/the-river-and-the-lost-man/
That’s wild- another blogger told me Celine was their favorite book of his. No matter what, I’ve got to get more of his books!