rashawna 's review for:

The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

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The themes in this book are very heavy. Wally Lamb is a brilliant writer that includes exploration of mental illness and recovery in his writing but this one broke me a little in the first few chapters, then I became invested in the recovery until my heart was broken again. It’s a beautiful book but not a happy one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic