Dear Lit Loves,
April's selection for the book club I belong to is Go As A River: A Novel by Shelley Read. Let me just say from the outset that it is based on a young woman who grows up on a peach farm in Iola, Colorado. Iola, Colorado in this book, is a real place in Gunnison County, CO. And the town was flooded to make way for the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Interestingly, now that this part of Colorado is currently experiencing significant drought, the town of Iola, CO can once again be seen or remnants of it at least.
This is a sweeping book centered around Victoria Nash, a seventeen year old young woman, who resides on a peach farm in Iola, Colorado with her father and brother, Seth. Her mom, an aunt, and a cousin died when she was twelve in an accident. It shook the family to lose so many at one time. Now, Victoria has basically become the caretaker of the home, garden, and family.
When Victoria meets Wilson Moon by happenstance in town one day, she realizes quickly that he is a Native American and unlike her, he makes his home wherever he goes. The folks in Iola, CO do not particularly care for Wilson Moon mainly due to prejudice and surely not because anyone other than Victoria has taken the time to get to know him. Victoria grew up helping her family raise peaches on their orchard. A rather interesting woman named Ruby Alice Akers lives near them, but most people are scared of her because she lives alone and rarely speaks to anyone. Interestingly, she becomes one of the characters I most liked in the book!
When Victoria decides to take off in search of Wilson Moon, she finds him and then also finds herself in a predicament whereby she has to decide whether to bring shame upon her family or leave and live on her own for several months. In the meantime, Wilson Moon is killed and Victoria's brother, Seth seems to know quite a bit about how it happened. There is really no full scale investigation into the death and who is responsible.
Victoria finds herself living in a camping hut in the mountains, giving birth to a son, and trying to keep her baby and herself alive. Eventually, Victoria becomes desperate and makes a decision that impacts her life and that of her baby forever. And the remainder of the book basically is a rendering of what happens to Victoria, her baby, her remaining family, and the peach farm.
There were times I had to put this book down and just stop reading. Some of the events were difficult to read about and periodically the book became emotionally overwhelming. Generally, that is the sign of a good author. A lot of readers pointed out the themes in the book as being the concept of "home" and can you really ever go back "home"? Others pointed to the concept of displacement due to the uprooting of many families once Iola, CO was to become a reservoir. The topic of prejudice is front and center in this book.
Personally, I thought the book showcased the impact and significance of daily decisions as well as monumental decisions. Decisions have consequences and in this book several major decisions effect the life trajectory of Victoria and her son along with a family who finds Victoria's son and decides to raise him as their own. The ending of the book is heartbreaking. And for me there were questions that are left unanswered at the conclusion of the book so if you like a tidy ending to a novel, this is not a book where that occurs.
I gave the book four stars out of five. I am not a reader who likes a lot of poetic, frilly description. This author paints a portrait for you in terms of the landscape and people. For many readers that is what makes a book beautiful for them. For me, it is the content and plot of the story that either make or break the book for me. And right in the middle of this book, when Victoria is moving to a new town and having her family's peach trees transplanted to a new farm, I just felt there was a lull in the plot. Otherwise, this book proved to be a much better read than I was expecting.
I would definitely recommend this book. Be aware that there are triggers in this book particularly around death, prejudice, and war.
Til my next review,
Grace (Amy)
