BOOK REVIEW: Peace Like A River

PEACE LIKE A RIVER, by Leif Enger, is proof that good literature is still being written.

For all of his eleven years, Reuben Land has heard the story of how his father, Jeremiah, had saved him when he was born. He has no doubt that his father can do miracles; he has seen them happen. His older brother, Davy, and younger sister, Swede, do not completely agree. They do know that they have been raised by a loving and wise father.

Jeremiah works as a janitor at the local school and when he stops some bullies from viciously attacking a female friend of Davy’s, he puts the rest of his family at risk. Davy ends up shooting the young thugs when they break into his home one night and stands to be committed for murder. Davy escapes from jail before Reuben and Swede can break him out. What follows is a journey across country, a story of family, good vs. evil, and some surprising miracles.

The adult Reuben narrates the family’s adventures and we watch him grow as well as meet the people who come and go in his life. Because of Reuben’s age the characters are described from his point of view. As most younger brothers would, he looks up to his older brother . Davy is an expert hunter and everything a younger brother would want to be.

Swede is the kid sister who needs to be protected. She is bright and a big aficionado of the Old West. The poetry that she writes features Sunny Sundown, a cowboy always in search for justice and at times follows Davy‘s adventure. She quickly became my favorite character. (Any one who can make a reference to “ Natty Bumpo” is all right in my mind.)

All of the characters are well done. Because of Reuben’s youth, he can recognize the woman Rebecca’s goodness when she comes to their aid. He knows that she could be “home“. On the other hand, Jape, the man where Davy is hiding, is evil, but Rueben and the reader are not sure why. Rueben has had experience with goodness, not with evil.

This book is well worth reading. It has touches of Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye, Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and even McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. The title is perfect. Not only is there a reason in the story for Peace and River to be mentioned, but that was the feeling that reading the story gave to me. It is a story of the miracle of love with a rich mixture of adventure and healing. I may have to put it on my Best of the Year List.