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A review by joshuadavid1986
Mink River by Brian Doyle
4.0
EXACT RATING: 3.50 stars
After loving MARTIN MARTEN a few years ago, I decided to try another of Doyle's nature-centric novels. In MINK RIVER, Doyle attempts to create a mosaic of small-town American life, with his patented optimistic, progressive (but also realistic) twist. This novel strays from the primary storylines quite frequently so that Doyle can flex his poetic muscles. There are countless chapters in which the author is content to riff on a topic (e.g. words in "Bear language", types of birds in Western Oregon, or reasons that all people in the town might be singing or might be simultaneously on their knees). And although Doyle does have a lovely writing style, these frequent interjections sometimes detracted from the broader story (at least for me). My favorite aspect of MINK RIVER is the way that universal truths/experiences are portrayed through specific situations.
The characters are mostly quite interesting - real people struggling with real issues (alcoholism, abuse, depression, illness). Doyle makes a point to avoid one-note, black and white characters, and he’s very good at bringing that kind of nuance. But at the same time, none of the characters stood out to me as favorites. That's one difficulty with writing about a large ensemble of characters. You get to spend a bit of time with a LOT of people, but not a lot of time with any.
There are a few unusual, supernatural-type things in this book: a talking raven, a man who can smell fear, a disembodied messenger - and for me I wanted this book to be either one thing or the other. Either a grounded story about real people, or a supernatural fantasy. The blending of the genres always took me out of the experience.
After loving MARTIN MARTEN a few years ago, I decided to try another of Doyle's nature-centric novels. In MINK RIVER, Doyle attempts to create a mosaic of small-town American life, with his patented optimistic, progressive (but also realistic) twist. This novel strays from the primary storylines quite frequently so that Doyle can flex his poetic muscles. There are countless chapters in which the author is content to riff on a topic (e.g. words in "Bear language", types of birds in Western Oregon, or reasons that all people in the town might be singing or might be simultaneously on their knees). And although Doyle does have a lovely writing style, these frequent interjections sometimes detracted from the broader story (at least for me). My favorite aspect of MINK RIVER is the way that universal truths/experiences are portrayed through specific situations.
The characters are mostly quite interesting - real people struggling with real issues (alcoholism, abuse, depression, illness). Doyle makes a point to avoid one-note, black and white characters, and he’s very good at bringing that kind of nuance. But at the same time, none of the characters stood out to me as favorites. That's one difficulty with writing about a large ensemble of characters. You get to spend a bit of time with a LOT of people, but not a lot of time with any.
There are a few unusual, supernatural-type things in this book: a talking raven, a man who can smell fear, a disembodied messenger - and for me I wanted this book to be either one thing or the other. Either a grounded story about real people, or a supernatural fantasy. The blending of the genres always took me out of the experience.