Into This River I Drown

By: TJ Klune

Narrated by: Matt Baca

Five years ago, Benji Green lost his beloved father Big Eddie when his truck crashed into a river. Everyone called it an accident, but Benji knows it was more. Even years later, he's buried in his grief, throwing himself into managing Big Eddie's convenience store in the small-town of Roseland, Oregon. Surrounded by his mother and three aunts, he lives day to day, struggling to keep his head above water.

But Roseland is no ordinary place.

With ever more frequent dreams of his father's death and waking visions of feathers on the river's surface, Benji finds his definition of reality bending. He thinks himself haunted; by ghosts or memories, he can no longer tell. Not until a man falls from the sky, leaving the burning imprint of wings on the ground, does Benji begin to understand that the world is more mysterious than he ever imagined - and more dangerous. As uncontrollable forces descend on Roseland, they reveal long-hidden truths about friends, family, and the stranger Calliel - a man Benji can no longer live without.

©2013 TJ Klune (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

For Love, Angels and Sometimes Both

Of all the books I've read from TJ Klune this one was at times the hardest to read. At first, I was a little thrown by the back and forth between past and present but once I settled in and recognized the past voice with the present one it wasn't terrible.

There was also a lot of repetition which upon review in context actually makes sense for the character's viewpoint. It is not repetition for its sake alone but rather a repetition that becomes like an internal mantra connecting past and present in the mind of our MC, Benji.

Benji is a man who is stuck in a sort of loop of grief over the loss of his father, Big Eddie and that loss is so profound that it taints and colors everything in his life. He is unable to move past it and is indeed so haunted by it that it informs every moment of his life. This connection to his father is at once unhealthy and in circumspect understandable as it is this relationship that becomes a sort of metaphor for the father-son relationship between God and his angelic sons. Seen in that way it offers a much more profound understanding of what a son means to his father and vice versa.

Calliel (Cal) is the guardian angel of the town of Roseland, Oregon where Benji lives, and he has spent the better part of two centuries watching over and protecting its inhabitants. While this is at first a fulfilling job for him, over time the disconnect between him, his father and his other brothers offer little in the way of comfort. He is lonely and longs for the sense of belonging and family. He is drawn by the relationship between Big Eddie and Benji and when he is put to the test and has to offer a choice to one of them it puts him at odds with his own father. He begins to question his purpose, to question the why and for an angel that is never a good question to ask.

Ultimately this is a story of faith hidden in a romance and the profound relationship of father and son. You may get aggravated over the angst and the sheer stubbornness Benji exhibits and you will want to reach through your Kindle and smack him but stick it out cuz, in the end, it all makes sense.

Beautiful just Beautiful

I was lost within this story such a wonderful read- TJ Klune writes with his heart and it shows . Matt Baca did such an awesome job with such a smooth and perfect voice voice - perfect - every thing was perfect.

Well Shit!

Sometimes TJ's characters can get so frustrating because they resist growth for as long as possible. In the end I finish living each book. what a magnificent story.

Good start but too long

Loved the character of Cal, but the story is long & too many time jumps are in it. I usually love all of TJ Klune’s books.

Very emotional read.

This book is centered around grief so it can be very triggering. T.J Klune is one of my favorite authors because of the emotions he can draw out of me by reading his books. His characters are always well written and developed . The story in this one felt a little crowded but I didn't have a issue with it. The narrator was perfect for this book. I've lissoned to this multiple times now so I would recommend it only if your in the right headspace for it. My only issue is that it felt like it left room for more books and I wanted to see what happens next.