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morethanmylupus's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“More than anything else, we're made of mistakes. But you know what? We always have a second chance.”
Kreuger has a talent for embodying both the charm and the unfortunate underbelly of small-town life. Set in the 1950s, this book is set in small-town Minnesota like Kreuger's previous books. This book follows suit on previous works, hitting on themes around racism, roles in small-town dynamics, and how actions (big and small) can have long-reaching impacts. If Andy Griffith hadn't shied away from heavier themes of racism, sexual assault including on children, and the long-term impacts that fighting in a war can have on a person ... you'd have a TV version of this book. The ending made me equal parts sad and content, but I don't think any ending to this story would have or could have been happy. None of the characters was 100% easy to love, but that's what I love about Kreuger's books - the characters aren't any more perfect than humans are in real life. Their redemption arcs - or lack thereof - were part of the charm of this book too.
On the subject of racism, I've seen a few reviews that questioned the racism in the book especially given Kreuger isn't a lifelong native. Saying that this type of thing was more likely to have happened in the South. Is that true? Maybe, but maybe not. I grew up Indian-American in suburban Minnesota and we certainly knew that there were a lot of places we should enter carefully or not at all. I was often asked whether I was a "dot Indian" or a "feather Indian / teepee Indian" as a child. So I can assure you that racism was alive and well in Minnesota even in the 1990s, and nothing that happened in this book felt like that much of a stretch to me. We see a lot of overt racism and racial slurs here, but also some more subversive and unconscious racism, which also felt realistic to me because I do believe that a fair amount of racism that I faced growing up in Minnesota was probably unconscious bias (though that didn't make it any nicer to experience).
This is a heavy book, but it's a beautiful book in how it reflects on the way humans behave and interact - and what we will do for the ones we love.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Rape, Murder, Incest, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Child abuse
kimreads14's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a great match 🫤 while I can understand the appeal of this book for some, it didn’t work out for me.
Here are a few reasons why:
- Sheriff Brody: I thought he was the least interesting character of them all, and he’s pretty much the leading “voice”. There are a few narrators in the book, but Brody’s voice is the one that comes up the most often.
The books concentrate on the idea that everyone has secrets and that these secrets are likely to come and bite you in the “derrière”. Yet, Brody’s main secrethis affair with his SISTER IN LAW is discovered by Evangeline and… well nothing happens??? I mean seriously? I get that Evangeline herself has a big secret but… yeah no I’m sorry it doesn’t work for me
- The pacing: jeez was this book long… I even have a progress note that says “Things are happening and yet it feels like nothing is happening.” I only thought the pacing improved when Charlie took over part of the narration.
Honestly, the only reason I kept going with this book was Charlie and her chapters. Scott’s were ok but Charlie was the real start in this book.
A few points to explain why I still gave it 2.5 ⭐️:
- Charlie: see above
- The fact that regardless of pacing and my hate for Brody this book still offers a good setting and discussion of American society in the 50s and the state of mind regarding the fall out of the two World Wars.
Here are a few reasons why:
- Sheriff Brody: I thought he was the least interesting character of them all, and he’s pretty much the leading “voice”. There are a few narrators in the book, but Brody’s voice is the one that comes up the most often.
The books concentrate on the idea that everyone has secrets and that these secrets are likely to come and bite you in the “derrière”. Yet, Brody’s main secret
- The pacing: jeez was this book long… I even have a progress note that says “Things are happening and yet it feels like nothing is happening.” I only thought the pacing improved when Charlie took over part of the narration.
Honestly, the only reason I kept going with this book was Charlie and her chapters. Scott’s were ok but Charlie was the real start in this book.
A few points to explain why I still gave it 2.5 ⭐️:
- Charlie: see above
- The fact that regardless of pacing and my hate for Brody this book still offers a good setting and discussion of American society in the 50s and the state of mind regarding the fall out of the two World Wars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Incest, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Cursing, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, War, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence
kmcfall's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I’ve read Two books set in 1958 in the past two months. Both by writers who know how to tell great storis and write sentences that make you want to read over and over. The first of these books was set in rural Ireland—This is Happiness, by Niall Williams. The second, and the one I finished this week is The River We Remember, by William Kent Krueger.
This book was published on September 5, 2023, and noonish on that day, I put a hold on the ebook at my library. I was finally able to check it out at the end of January. Popular book!
I’ll say first off that I enjoyed the book. Well, I enjoyed it after I got into it, and I do recommend it. I gave it three stars, and for me—just like in a staff performance evaluation—3.5 stars meant the book was doing its job and was doing it pretty well.
I’ve been a huge fan of the author. His book This Tender Land is a favorite book of all time for me. I read it first as an eBook and then my husband and I read it to each other, aloud. And it the writing is gorgeous, and more than that, it tells a powerful story of an odyssey. While it’s historical fiction, It’s a book I think of as literary fiction. That is not how I would characterize The River We Remember.
William Kent Krueger sets his books—both his stand alone books and his Cork O’Connor detective series—in Minnesota, though I’ve not read the series yet.
The River We Remember is historical fiction had more of a detective novel vibe—and that’s typically not my genre. Set in a small town along the fictitious Alabaster River, the book begins with the death of prominent person that everyone hates. To a person, no one is sad about this death. He was that kind of guy.
Once I got into the book, I had a hard time putting it down. But I had a hard time liking the main character initially—he really pissed me off. 😊 And I did not get fully immersed until about halfway through. Your individual mileage may vary.
This book calls out the racism and sexism of the day. William Kent Krueger quite often features Dakota characters—and through his storylines points to the injustices done to them. Both this book and This Tender Land include descriptions of the US – Dakota War of 1862, as well as the mass arrests and executions.
Beyond that, we see the impact of trauma from WWII on several characters.
Krueger doesn’t pull punches.
And I mentioned that he did highlight the sexism of the day, but at the same time, one of the characters, a Japanese woman is continually described in diminuitive terms. She “looked small and childlike.” Her hands were tiny, etc.
Interestingly, in a Q & A with the author, he originally thought the character of the female attorney would tell the story from her perspective. And I would hope that at least she wouldn’t spend so much time focusing on the stature of Kyoko.
Okay—there’s a thing that bothered me. Friends who read the book back in September mentioned it on social media, so I knew it was coming.
LUTHERAN PASTOR FATHER GREGORY.
Do you see that?
Given where Kreuger sets his books, I would expect him to know that Lutheran clergy do not have the Father title. (I’m thinking of the female Lutheran pastors I know—goodness, they’d not be called Mother.)
I tend to geek out over location in Krueger novels. For anyone who is curious about exactly where this book may be set, follow and check out a separate video I have on that.
With everything I’ve said, I heartily recommend the book.
This book was published on September 5, 2023, and noonish on that day, I put a hold on the ebook at my library. I was finally able to check it out at the end of January. Popular book!
I’ll say first off that I enjoyed the book. Well, I enjoyed it after I got into it, and I do recommend it. I gave it three stars, and for me—just like in a staff performance evaluation—3.5 stars meant the book was doing its job and was doing it pretty well.
I’ve been a huge fan of the author. His book This Tender Land is a favorite book of all time for me. I read it first as an eBook and then my husband and I read it to each other, aloud. And it the writing is gorgeous, and more than that, it tells a powerful story of an odyssey. While it’s historical fiction, It’s a book I think of as literary fiction. That is not how I would characterize The River We Remember.
William Kent Krueger sets his books—both his stand alone books and his Cork O’Connor detective series—in Minnesota, though I’ve not read the series yet.
The River We Remember is historical fiction had more of a detective novel vibe—and that’s typically not my genre. Set in a small town along the fictitious Alabaster River, the book begins with the death of prominent person that everyone hates. To a person, no one is sad about this death. He was that kind of guy.
Once I got into the book, I had a hard time putting it down. But I had a hard time liking the main character initially—he really pissed me off. 😊 And I did not get fully immersed until about halfway through. Your individual mileage may vary.
This book calls out the racism and sexism of the day. William Kent Krueger quite often features Dakota characters—and through his storylines points to the injustices done to them. Both this book and This Tender Land include descriptions of the US – Dakota War of 1862, as well as the mass arrests and executions.
Beyond that, we see the impact of trauma from WWII on several characters.
Krueger doesn’t pull punches.
And I mentioned that he did highlight the sexism of the day, but at the same time, one of the characters, a Japanese woman is continually described in diminuitive terms. She “looked small and childlike.” Her hands were tiny, etc.
Interestingly, in a Q & A with the author, he originally thought the character of the female attorney would tell the story from her perspective. And I would hope that at least she wouldn’t spend so much time focusing on the stature of Kyoko.
Okay—there’s a thing that bothered me. Friends who read the book back in September mentioned it on social media, so I knew it was coming.
LUTHERAN PASTOR FATHER GREGORY.
Do you see that?
Given where Kreuger sets his books, I would expect him to know that Lutheran clergy do not have the Father title. (I’m thinking of the female Lutheran pastors I know—goodness, they’d not be called Mother.)
I tend to geek out over location in Krueger novels. For anyone who is curious about exactly where this book may be set, follow and check out a separate video I have on that.
With everything I’ve said, I heartily recommend the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Sexual assault, Racism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Child abuse
kimveach's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I should have loved this book. And according to Goodreads, many people have. This book has everything I look for in a literary mystery - compelling themes, interesting characters, dilemmas with no easy solution, etc. However, I found myself feeling like reading it was a chore. I can't explain it, and I expect most people to enjoy it. However, I won't be reading more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Confinement, Alcoholism, Bullying, Colonisation, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Hate crime, Medical content, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, War, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
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