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challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Setting. in CT; family tragedy with main character enduring incarceration while trying to hang on to family relationships
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Car accident, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
This is a tough story but so so good. It will stick with me a long time. My feelings for the MMC kept flipping around; I like him, he disgusts me, I feel sorry for him, I’m angry at him. It just highlights how well written the character is. If you need neat stories tied up with bows this isn’t the book for you. But if you want to be challenged and made to think pick this one up. But don’t be surprised if you shed a few tears.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, Murder
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 Stars for The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. Lamb's books are not easy to read - the subject matter is dark and the characters are so human, so tragic. In this book, we meet Corby Ledbetter, who struggles with fatherhood to twins and the loss of his job. He turns to drugs and alcohol to help him to cope, but unfortunately causing the death of his own child. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, all while keeping hope to return to his wife and daughter. Any small acts of kindness or friendships he forms makes Corby questions his worthiness for forgivness, he is his own worst enemy... As he serves his time, he questions if he can even hope for forgiveness when he has to live with the truth of what he did for the rest of his life.
"‘Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.’—Corrie ten Boom.”
Even with the tough subject matter, I enjoyed reading Corby's story. He is a flawed character, but so real. I was rooting for him and his family; he really humanizes the prison system, almost like Shawshank Redemption.
From the book: "In closing, I ask you to think about this: every person who enters prison must make the choice of moving toward the dark or the light. Many people who are serving time further imprison themselves with dark thoughts and dark deeds, but both paths are available to you. Seek the light, dear Corby. Move toward the light."
TW for the death of a child, grief, addiction, incarceration, bullying, and sexual assult.
"‘Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.’—Corrie ten Boom.”
Even with the tough subject matter, I enjoyed reading Corby's story. He is a flawed character, but so real. I was rooting for him and his family; he really humanizes the prison system, almost like Shawshank Redemption.
From the book: "In closing, I ask you to think about this: every person who enters prison must make the choice of moving toward the dark or the light. Many people who are serving time further imprison themselves with dark thoughts and dark deeds, but both paths are available to you. Seek the light, dear Corby. Move toward the light."
TW for the death of a child, grief, addiction, incarceration, bullying, and sexual assult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Addiction, Rape
Minor: Suicide
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The River Is Waiting pulled me in from the start with its tight pacing and strong plot development. I found myself flying through it in just five days—not because it was easy to digest, but because I had to know where it was going.
The depictions of addiction are painfully accurate and, at times, deeply triggering. The main tragedy at the heart of the story is absolutely brutal—true nightmare fuel. And yet, the writing doesn’t let you look away. There’s a rawness and urgency to it that mirrors the chaos of addiction itself.
I did find aspects of the story emotionally manipulative, and maybe that’s intentional—addiction often comes wrapped in emotional distortion. But at times, I wished for more emotional subtlety rather than such a relentless gut punch.
Still, it’s a powerful read. Not easy. Not necessarily “enjoyable” in the traditional sense. But affecting, propulsive, and hard to forget.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Rape, Violence
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s BRUTAL. About a zillion content warnings. But devastating in a good way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape
Moderate: Addiction
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The River is Waiting is the story of Corby, a stay-at-home dad with an alcohol and drug problem that contributes to a terrible tragedy. I loved this book for its moral complexity, the way it dealt in shades of grey. Yes, Corby's actions had horrific consequences, but he wasn't an irredeemably bad person, and in a couple of instances made choices that reflected well on his character. I appreciated the way the story highlighted the flaws, inadequacies, and abuses inherent in the prison system and the way inmates are powerless to protect themselves. Many readers will consider the ending to be a cop-out, but I rather liked it. Lamb has resisted the temptation to show us whether he thinks atonement is possible, thus forcing the reader to wrestle with the issue themselves. A thought-provoking, powerful, and brutal book with a deeply flawed character that Lamb had me rooting for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Rape
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Could not feel much empathy with main character and it led to me not really liking the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Blood