Written by Wally Lamb

Some tragedies can never be fully understood or forgiven. Sometimes, absolution is not possible. A River is Waiting depicts such a torment. The chief protagonist is sentenced to prison for his role in such a tragedy that takes place in the opening pages of the book, and it is in prison where most of the book occurs. It follows the course of one man’s twists and turns as he endures his sentence on the inside, where he struggles his way out of his addictions and to find a way to forgive himself, as well as to learn from the experience. “I don’t know,” Corby says, “Sometimes I think we’re all wandering in the dark and that it’s random and pointless. But I’m trying to open my mind to the possibility of some deeper truths. Trying to see the light and move in that direction.” In prison, he suffers horrible acts of bullying and brutality, while at the same time he is able to nurture several bonding relationships: with his cellmate, a troubled teen who is mistakenly incarcerated in the men’s prison, as well as the prison librarian. The book is a very accurate and full portrayal of life on the inside. I became a bit bogged down in the middle third of the novel, but it picked up the pace in the last 100 pages and by the end of the novel, becomes a page turner. We get inside Corby’s head to an impressive degree, as he struggles with his grief and guilt. “As much as I hate prison life,” he says, “I’ve never felt that I was dealt an injustice when I had to come here.” That is how much he blames himself and cannot forgive himself. However, his wife, Emily, is not depicted as fully; I had a sense of wanting more from her character, to have seen the story more from her side of things. Hard to do in a first person narrative, though. Our vision as readers becomes limited and funneled entirely through the storyteller’s viewfinder, who is in the process of change and reflection in prison. As the librarian says about the inmates: “And if they are brave enough to face themselves without looking away, then this is a place where they can gain the valuable insights that will help send them on a better path.” Is redemption possible for everyone and anyone, no matter the crime?