Book review: The River by Michael Neale

When I first started reading The River I was not quite sure what to expect, but after the first few pages I was hooked. This book reminded me very much of the movie "A River Runs Through It"; in part because a river plays a central role, but also because of the fascinating storytelling by the author. The book is written like a story because the premise is a chance encounter between two strangers that kill time telling stories.
I grew up listening to my grandparents telling stories of times long ago and maybe the book resonates strongly with me for that reason. But the author also has a true gift for telling stories and books like this are hard to find these days when too many books are action driven and the true art of telling a good story is often forgotten.

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I really enjoyed the various chapters dealing with important episodes in the life of the protagonist and teaching him lessons that allow him to grow up into a strong and independent man.The book is a wonderful read for everyone and for people of ages. It describes the life of a young boy that takes almost a whole life to overcome a traumatic experience witnessed as a young child. Along the path to adulthood, he is learning important lessons about growing up, overcoming your fears and becoming independent.
I really encourage you to give this book a read. It may not be by a well-known author, but I really enjoyed reading the book because it did read like a story being told to me by someone else. I will definitely look for other books by this author because I enjoyed the style of his writing in this book so much.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book through booksneeze. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and have not been influenced by booksneeze or any other third party.