A review by hsquared
The Riverman by Aaron Starmer

4.0

I'm still thinking about this book, but right now I'd give it a solid 4 to 4 1/2 stars. Ok, maybe not so solid. The writing was terrific and the book completely engaging. Like Alistair, I was pretty convinced that Fiona's story was a coping mechanism for something much more sinister she was dealing with. That is, until I wasn't. The ending--in all it's ambiguous glory--quite frankly made me want to throw the book across the bedroom. When I discovered this morning that the book is the first in a planned trilogy, I'm a little less bothered by the ending. The question is, how will young readers feel about it? To be honest, I think this will be better appreciated by older middle grade to young adult. Although there are no explicit references to molestation, the suggestion that it may have occured is pretty strong. My gut feeling is that younger kids will completely miss that aspect of the novel, which is a pretty powerful component of the story, and focus more on the fantasy world. Regardless, this is a compelling book with so much to discuss. With all the layers of meaning, this is definitely a book for discussion.