The River (book review)

The River, by Michael Neale, is not only the story of a young man dealing with the ghosts of his past, it's also a story about him finding his life's calling and embracing his destiny.

As a boy living in the mountains of Colorado, Gabriel Clarke watched his father sacrifice himself to The River to save another man's life. Heroic though the action may have been, from his 5-year-old perspective, Gabriel's father abandoned him. After that, Gabriel moved to Kansas to live with his mother.

The following years spent on the farm were simple and horrible. Gabriel, not able to escape the pain and the loss, struggled to make it through each day. By the time he turned twelve, he still had an incredible fear of water, and it was only through the gift of a fishing rod that he was able to re-encounter The River in a healing way.

As a young adult, he gets pulled away from Kansas by some friends to go camping in Colorado. There he has a supernatural experience with The River which replaces much of his fear with awe. He goes white-water rafting and feels himself come alive. That camping trip was too short so he later returns to Colorado to spend the summer working at the white-water rafting camp. There he learns much about his past and has an encounter that, depending on how he handles it, will change the course of his life forever.

While I found this book to be entertaining, there were many instances which pointed to the author's inexperience as a writer. For instance, the story is told to us by someone who meets Gabriel Clarke in an airport. Gabriel tells the narrator his story, who then shares Gabriel's story to us "as he told it to me." I would expect it to then be written from Gabriel's perspective (as it would have been originally told to the narrator). Instead, it was written in third person narration. Either Gabriel is one strange duck who narrates his own life, or the author made a big oopsie.

In addition, the dialogue and story line were very simply written and stated many of the characteristics of the various characters instead of showing them. For instance, we are told that Gabriel has 'hard days' and 'easy days' as a child, but we never really know what that means. We are told that on a 'hard day' he retreats to a secret place in his mind, but we are never allowed to join him there. (Another indicator that the story is not really being told "as he told it to me")

All in all, I'd give the book 3/5 stars, which reflects more of my appreciation of the way Colorado, mountains, and rivers are portrayed than it does for the story itself. I will say this though - I was on the brink of tears the last couple chapters of the book. It's an emotional tale that I did connect to...especially toward the end.

I received a copy of this book from the publishing company and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

If We Survive (Book Review)

I read Andrew Klavan's Crazy Dangerous a while back, so I came into If We Survive with some expectations regarding pace, prose, etc. I was not disappointed. This was a very fun, very fast read, which follows a group of kids through the jungles of Costa Verdes, dodging bullets, poisonous snakes, and raging rapids in an attempt to escape with their very lives. 

The main character is Will Peterson, a 'normal' 16-year-old who wants to be a hero. He went on a missions-trip/school project to Costa Verdes to help rebuild a school, and minutes before they leave the country, a revolution breaks out. Because of their being Americans, and because they tick one of the leaders off, they are set to be executed. They narrowly escape, and it's a run for their lives for the border.

In the midst of a gripping tale, Andrew Klavan manages to weave in some complex ideas.....ideas like how to cope with killing someone in battle, the discrepancy between what we read and what really is happening in other parts of the world, and questions like "am I so very different from murderous revolutionaries?" or "what does it mean to be a hero?"

Needless to say, I would highly recommend this book. 

I received a copy of this book from the publishing company and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

David and the Old Man (Book Review)

David and the Old Man is the tale of William Zemba (the author) and his family. Specifically, the story is about growing up with his brother, David, and watching his interactions with their father.

Their father, referred to in the book as the Old Man, grew up on a farm, and when he established his own home, continued to grow fresh produce in his prized garden. The Zemba family revolved around the growing, cooking, eating, and enjoyment of the bountiful harvest, so when David refused to eat anything, it was met with incredulity, shock, and frustration.

David became anorexic. Because of the harsh control of the Old Man, David grabbed control over a small part of his life, namely his eating habits. Then he lost control, and anorexia started controlling him.

David's anorexia came close to tearing their family apart and almost killed his mother and himself. Then an incredible thing happened....they were saved by Jesus Christ. He not only saved their souls, he saved their lives too.

David and the Old Man is a glimpse into the redeeming work that Jesus Christ can do in a life. It's a glimpse into what living with an anorexic is like as well. William pulls the reader into the story as if they are actually there witnessing the events as they unfold, and after reading this book, I feel like I know the Zemba family.

The author has much to learn about writing, but his format is raw and honest. The actual story ended about 2/3rds of the way through the book, and the rest was reflections from himself, his sisters, and his anorexic brother. The message of hope, redemption, and masculine responsibility are dumped on you at the end in a way where upon thinking back over the story, it all makes sense!

I would recommend this book for anyone curious about anorexia, wondering if Jesus can really change lives, or those who want to experience the power of a father's role in a child's life.


I received a copy of this book from the publishing company and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed here are my own.