Book Review: The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

Rating: 4.5⭐

“Our lives and the lives of those we love merge to create a river whose current carries us forward from our beginning to our end. Because we are only one part of the whole, the river each of us remembers is different, and there are many versions of the stories we tell about the past. In all of them there is truth, and in all of them a good deal of innocent misremembering.”

The discovery of the body of one of its influential residents in the Alabaster River on Memorial Day 1958 leaves a community in Minnesota in shock. The victim, Jimmy Quinn, was not without enemies and though not too many people are mourning his death, tensions are high. Sheriff Brody Dern's team and his former colleague and mentor, now part-time deputy Connie Graff, are tasked with investigating the murder. The narrative follows Brody as he tries to unravel the mystery of Quinn’s murder, starting with trying to find out who might have had a grudge against him among his family, neighbors and employees. As the narrative progresses, we also get to know more about the community and the way of life in the small town of Jewel, Minnesota.

Though the war some years back, the scars and memories remain as do bias, intolerance and prejudices. Fueled more by prejudice and his family's history with the Quinns, Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran is deemed a suspect by the townspeople. Noah returned from the war with his Japanese wife Kyoko, who was until recently employed by the Quinns. Eventually, when Noah is taken into custody based on evidence found at his home, he refuses to cooperate with Charlotte “Charlie” Bauer, his lawyer, and maintains his silence. Tempers are rising and might soon manifest in a violent act of retribution and Brody and his associates must leave no stone unturned to ensure that the true culprit is brought to justice before anyone else gets hurt. It is not an easy task for a man haunted by his own past and struggling to navigate a complicated personal situation in a town that has more than a fair share of secrets.

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger is a brilliantly penned novel. The author’s vividly described settings capture the time and place brilliantly. The realistic depiction of the inter-personal dynamics in a small town with its flawed characters each with personal struggles and secrets to keep ranging from post-war trauma, physical and emotional wounds, messy personal lives and darkness that lurks behind closed doors. The author is a master storyteller and at no point does the narrative feel weighed down with its large cast of characters and numerous subplots that are seamlessly woven into a consistently paced, immersive narrative that I could not put down.

Complex characters, a gripping narrative and sharp writing – William Kent Krueger does not disappoint!

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

“We all die, but some of us— those who are blessed or maybe just lucky— have the opportunity before that end to be redeemed. We can let go, forgive others, and also forgive ourselves for the worst of what we are or have been.”