Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - 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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gcrespo97's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

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.

Content Warnings