A review by minniepauline
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I was so excited to be awarded an advance copy of this novel. I love the Cork O’Connor mystery series. The characters are well-developed and the writing is great. I’ve been wanting to read more of Krueger’s work. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by this standalone novel. It felt rambling and unfocused. I didn’t understand the actions of certain characters based on what they did before or after, or what they seemed to stand for. The book is set in 1958, and there are several places where the omniscient narrator suddenly breaks the fourth wall to inform the reader about how that time is different from ‘today’, or to explain something that feels more like the author showing us his homework than something that is really necessary to the story. 

There are also lovely bits of writing, and emotional and tense moments that made me feel things, which is one of the reasons that I read, after all. The story is interesting, although the characters feel one-dimensional. I’m hoping that, since this is an ARC, there will be another edit before the final version is published. 
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