http://www.amazon.com/The-River-Michael-Neale/dp/B00AZ8G2I6
I hate starting with it's been awhile but it's been awhile. I've read some good books and come across some great art. It was hard to choose what to feature. So I will continue with what I liked. I read a book The River by Michael Neale a long time ago. I got it for Christmas and read it along with a friend. I've read some reviews and observed most didn't give too much away. I guess so they don't ruin the story but I think one of the reasons we choose stories is because we can relate on some level on that was the case with this one. In sharing the book I might give away somethings.
The story is about a boy named Gabriel who not only suffered a great loss but was witness to a tragedy. He and his father both shared a passion for the river but after an accident he is ends up living with his mother and spend the rest of his life dealing with the loss of his father. He spends much of his young life afraid of the thing he once loved but took his father.
When someone we care about dies people around us have a tendency to try and make you feel better quickly as if that would make the pain go away. The characters in the story deal with his loss in different ways and help by either drawing him in or giving him space. The character that was most surprising for me was The River itself it became as much a character as his mother, landlords. classmates and teachers. Every moment shared played a part in his healing and ability to move forward. What I liked most was instead of trying to forget the moment or his loved one the author chose to honor the memory of his father and it became less painful to remember.
It was comforting to share in his experience as a dealt with my own loss of someone I cared for deeply. Like a good friend reading the book helped me to move forward in my grief journey.
If you get to read come back and share your thoughts.
