Adventure. Danger. Raging fire and raging river. Bonds of friendship. The River.

A captivating adventure story full of danger, both from man and Mother Nature. The bonds of a strong friendship are the driving force behind everything - along with an epic fire, of course.

The River, Peter Heller

Genre: General Fiction

Published 2019, 272 pages

There's something about this book that just drew me in. The brisk writing style. Short, abrupt, almost sentences. The pacing of action, then non-action. The details of making or breaking camp alongside the river and the detailed description of fly fishing and how the guys settled into the Zen of it, followed by the crashing of rapids or the heat of the forest fire.

I loved the building tension as man and nature conspire against Jack and Wynn. There's some mystery as they try to help or evade people they meet on the river and we all try to figure out who the good guys are. You don't learn a lot about the secondary characters, but I love the way Heller doles out the characteristics of Jack and Wynn and what makes them such good friends. It's like seeing them grow to be friends right in front of your eyes.

I see some reviews from those who didn't care for the book and found it boring - I, on the other hand, loved the adventure and danger of it. Since I've never been an outdoorsy fisherperson or hiker, some of the terminology was new to me, but that's a plus - I enjoy new words. And, that ending. Ahhhh.

I've seen this book all over the internet and the reviews interested me, but finally the recommendation by Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs Darcy won me over. I'm so glad I picked it up. All in all, one of the best I've read this year -

Do you like a good adventure story with lots of action? This might be a good choice for you..... What other adventure/action books would you recommend?

Photos by Terrie Purkey of the Cheakamus River near Whistler, Canada, which is what I was visualizing throughout their adventure.