Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - The River We Remember

I really like WKK’s books and this one was good but not my favorite. There’s no big dramatic reason either, it just didn’t grab me as much as the last one I read. The mystery was probably the least interesting part of the book and the focus on the town and characters was lovingly done. It also addresses some dark topics that are portrayed with care.

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kimreads14's review

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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 secret

his 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.

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amandalachelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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astoriareader's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

SYNOPSIS

It is Memorial Day 1958 in Black Earth County in Jewel, Minnesota. Jimmy Quinn, a wealthy landowner, is found dead in the Alabaster River with a shotgun wound.
Sheriff Brody Dern is investigating. Before an autopsy is done, the town’s residents are already assuming the Quinn was killed by Noah Bluestone, a local Dakota Sioux Indian. Noah is also married to Kyoko, a Ngasaki native.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my first novel by Krueger, and I hope to read more by him. He’s very talented.
There are a lot of characters, and I did find it hard to keep them all straight in the first half of the book.
Many tough topics are discussed in this book. I would recommend checking out trigger warnings.
Krueger shows the strong prejudice and racism against Noah & Kyoko, as well as the hatred among the community from WWII against Asians.
This is a slow burn with complex characters & dysfunctional families. Historical fiction. Starts maybe a little slowly, but picks up about a third of the way.
Also, I loved the addition of Hector and Fuji 🐶🐶

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️historical fiction. complex characters + dysfunctional families. check out trigger warnings, as this covers some tough subjects.

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sara_ken's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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marbelousreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was an unexpected surprise. It was deeply reflective and had a nuanced main characters who were flawed and complicated. I am so glad I read it and I look forward to moderating a conversation with the author.

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gimmebacon's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

4.75

I started reading The River We Remember thinking it would be similar in pace and structure to his Cork O’Connor series. It’s not. You might think you’re reading a typical “whodunnit” with the body of the most hated man in town pulled out of the river and everyone having a reason to want him dead. What this book is REALLY about is the choices people make and the chain reaction of events that happen because of those choices.
There ARE a lot of characters and points of view. The author continually reminded the reader who each character was so it wasn’t an issue for me.
There are two dogs in the novel which made me a little nervous since William Kent Krueger has killed off a lot of dogs throughout his other books. I’m here to let everyone know that neither dog dies in this book. The River We Remember is safe to read if that’s a trigger!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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