The River

I enjoyed learning how a knowlegable and accomplished nonfiction outdoor writer could craft a dramatic work of fiction while teaching readers a great deal bout deep woods exploration, forest fires and human conflict in the face of natural challenges erupting all around. In short, I was lost in the deep woods with some interesting and dangerous folks. Thanks for the trip.

Any Peter Heller novel will work here—The Dog Stars, The Painter, etc.—but The River is really interesting for a few reasons: Heller pushes his characters into the unknown on a river that serves both as a literal symbol and a propulsive, metaphorical symbol. There’s no way to backtrack on a river, so his two friends can’t go backwards. Then we add in the imminent danger of a forest fire and the creepy people also on the river with them, and the whole entire mix is scary!

This novel is both frightening and gorgeous in its depiction of a wilderness canoe trip gone wrong. The story opens with two young men, with very different personalities but long-time friends, setting out for what they intend to be a relaxing break canoeing whitewater in northern Canada. But the friends get caught up in a terrifying wildfire. The flames’ ferocity and threat are brilliantly evoked, as is the human danger posed by a couple encountered along the river. This is a tale of survival in the wilderness, mystery, and violence. It is all beautifully and movingly captured – witness the… show more.