A review by gobblebook
Mink River by Brian Doyle

5.0

This book is utterly amazing. It perfectly evokes and encapsulates the Pacific Northwest: the cycle of nature, the trees, the ocean, the fish and birds, the Native American folklore that infuses the landscape, the brief giddy summer. Doyle's writing is delightful. He manages to weave together a lot of varied storylines and do justice to all of them. All of the characters are well-rounded and likeable - he even manages to make an abusive father into a sympathetic character. Sometimes the writing is like a prose poem, especially in scenes where all the characters are doing the same thing at once (everyone in town is on one knee, everyone in town is singing). The book explores a lot of themes: the importance of storytelling, the similarities and contrasts between Native and immigrant families, the quest to enjoy life, our relationship to nature and to time. It has characters in every stage of life, from birth to adolescence to mid-life crisis to old age to death, and does justice to them all. This one is worth re-reading every few years. I listened to the audiobook. It was a little tough to keep all the characters straight when I couldn't flip back to jog my memory, but the narrator did an excellent job.