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jlstone's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
oceanwader's review
5.0
Aaron Starmer's The Riverman grabs the reader by the throat from the first sentence and doesn't let go until well after the last page is turned.
A dark, haunting sense of loss and foreboding, overlaying a persistent mystery, permeate this multi-layered, sophisticated story, which merges fantasy and reality. By the end of the novel, the reader wonders which is which, the fantasy or the reality, and where the truth lies.
The novel tells of a six week period during the life of a 12-year-old boy, Alistair, at a time during which he renews an old friendship with Fiona Loomis, questions other friendships, and wonders about the people he thought he knew. Fiona says she chose to tell him her autobiography because "he is a boy who keeps secrets."
…Which begs the question: what other secrets lie beneath the surface of this seeming tranquil community?
Told in the first person by Alistair, by the end of the story the reader is left to wonder if that, too, is not also a mystery… For perhaps Alistair is no longer 12… Perhaps he is now an older adolescent. Perhaps he is even a man.
Strong in establishing a pervasive uncertainty, Starmer never tries to trick the reader. Instead, he allows the story to unfold itself, as if it follows its own natural, developmental path. You never feel like you've been manipulated and there is not a single jarring moment.
Every sentence, every paragraph, and every page flows seamlessly from one to the other. By means of Starmer's superb writing, one gets the sense of his immense respect for the story's own integrity and life, for the persistence of its characters - who insist on being who they are and not what the author or anyone else, might want them to be; and respect for the reader, who is drawn into the story and feels almost part of it.
I finished the book about 24 hours ago and read it over three days. (I typically have four books on the go at a time.) Throughout those three days and the next, The Riverman has dwelt in the back of my mind. I can only hope that Book 2 will become available soon. And then Book 3, to complete the trilogy.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best of 2014…," wrote Betsy Bird, writing in the Fuse #8 blog of the School Library Journal.
I couldn't agree more. If The Riverman doesn't win multiple awards, I will question the book awards business.
Meanwhile, I highly recommend The Riverman for anyone over the age of 12, including adults.
A dark, haunting sense of loss and foreboding, overlaying a persistent mystery, permeate this multi-layered, sophisticated story, which merges fantasy and reality. By the end of the novel, the reader wonders which is which, the fantasy or the reality, and where the truth lies.
The novel tells of a six week period during the life of a 12-year-old boy, Alistair, at a time during which he renews an old friendship with Fiona Loomis, questions other friendships, and wonders about the people he thought he knew. Fiona says she chose to tell him her autobiography because "he is a boy who keeps secrets."
…Which begs the question: what other secrets lie beneath the surface of this seeming tranquil community?
Told in the first person by Alistair, by the end of the story the reader is left to wonder if that, too, is not also a mystery… For perhaps Alistair is no longer 12… Perhaps he is now an older adolescent. Perhaps he is even a man.
Strong in establishing a pervasive uncertainty, Starmer never tries to trick the reader. Instead, he allows the story to unfold itself, as if it follows its own natural, developmental path. You never feel like you've been manipulated and there is not a single jarring moment.
Every sentence, every paragraph, and every page flows seamlessly from one to the other. By means of Starmer's superb writing, one gets the sense of his immense respect for the story's own integrity and life, for the persistence of its characters - who insist on being who they are and not what the author or anyone else, might want them to be; and respect for the reader, who is drawn into the story and feels almost part of it.
I finished the book about 24 hours ago and read it over three days. (I typically have four books on the go at a time.) Throughout those three days and the next, The Riverman has dwelt in the back of my mind. I can only hope that Book 2 will become available soon. And then Book 3, to complete the trilogy.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best of 2014…," wrote Betsy Bird, writing in the Fuse #8 blog of the School Library Journal.
I couldn't agree more. If The Riverman doesn't win multiple awards, I will question the book awards business.
Meanwhile, I highly recommend The Riverman for anyone over the age of 12, including adults.
frootjoos's review against another edition
4.0
So torn on this one (between a 4 & a 5)... It is beautiful and nebulous but I don't know if the average reader will get it. It's an extraordinary book for extraordinary readers.
book_nut's review against another edition
2.0
Weird. I hated the ending. And I have no idea who the audience for the book is.
settingshadow's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I hadn't gone into this book on false pretenses. Jon told me that it was one of his favorite books from 2016 and that "A girl either lives in a fantasy book and it's not clear which." Only to me, there was absolutely no ambiguity. At all. Yes, Alistair, the ostensible protagonist, thought it might be that she was being abused, but his narratives of how that might make sense of the situation were at least three times more far-fetched than just taking Fiona's story at face value. In fact, if not outright told that there was supposed to be ambiguity, I would have taken for granted that it was a fantasy novel.
And honestly, once I got over being annoyed at the lack of ambiguity, it's a fine fantasy novel. It's a little cliche in parts, but there is something really unique about reading a fantasy novel from a point of view other than that of the clear protagonist. What is it like to bear witness to someone else's story? To be an outsider to time passing in non-linear ways? These are really interesting questions and place a new spin on the time-worn tale of Girl Finds a Fantasy World and Can Stay There Indefinitely, While Time is Paused in the "Real World," But the Fantasy World is Threatened and Only She Can Save it. Starmer also takes a really morally grey, dark tone with the real world and it infuses the whole atmosphere of the book with a kind of creepy overtone, which plays well with the duality of the narratives that he intended, even if it wasn't fully realized.
I haven't decided yet whether I'll continue on with this series. My concern is that all of the innovation is done in Riverman and the future books will only have the tired tropes of fantasyland to play with. But ultimately, while Riverman wasn't the book I thought it would be, I'm glad I read it.
And honestly, once I got over being annoyed at the lack of ambiguity, it's a fine fantasy novel. It's a little cliche in parts, but there is something really unique about reading a fantasy novel from a point of view other than that of the clear protagonist. What is it like to bear witness to someone else's story? To be an outsider to time passing in non-linear ways? These are really interesting questions and place a new spin on the time-worn tale of Girl Finds a Fantasy World and Can Stay There Indefinitely, While Time is Paused in the "Real World," But the Fantasy World is Threatened and Only She Can Save it. Starmer also takes a really morally grey, dark tone with the real world and it infuses the whole atmosphere of the book with a kind of creepy overtone, which plays well with the duality of the narratives that he intended, even if it wasn't fully realized.
I haven't decided yet whether I'll continue on with this series. My concern is that all of the innovation is done in Riverman and the future books will only have the tired tropes of fantasyland to play with. But ultimately, while Riverman wasn't the book I thought it would be, I'm glad I read it.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
4.0
Now I get all the reviews that say WHAT???????
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Creepy and real and surreal, with excellent layered storytelling. I forget sometimes how much I like kind of "tween" age MG, like what Rebecca Stead writes. This would definitely appeal to Stead fans, actually...
literarystrawberry's review against another edition
4.0
THIS WAS REALLY REALLY GOOD
it's dark and has amazing writing and it twists around so you're never quite sure what to believe and it was just really good okay
it's dark and has amazing writing and it twists around so you're never quite sure what to believe and it was just really good okay