The River

A novel

By: Peter Heller

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

A Nominee for the 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Awards

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"A fiery tour de force… I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful." –Alison Borden, The Denver Post

From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip--a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence

Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: The next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And, if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.

Critic reviews

Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee

"Utter joy... A suspenseful tale told with glorious drama and lyrical flair."
—Denise Mina, The New York Times Book Review

"Urgent, visceral writing--I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. A beautiful, heartrending exploration of male friendship."
—Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of Let Me Lie

"[T]here is plenty of tension here, but where Heller really scores is the extraordinarily high quality of his writing about the natural world, which is lyrical and action-packed by turns."
—Laura Wilson, The Guardian

"A fiery tour de force… [The River] recalls his debut, The Dog Stars, with its poetic, staccato sentences and masterfully crafted prose… And what a story he tells… I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful."
—Alison Borden, The Denver Post

"[A] poetic and unnerving wilderness thriller… Full of rushing life and profound consequences. Every move Jack and Wynn make along the river has the chance to kill them or those they’re trying to save, and the result is a novel that sweeps you away, each page filled with wonder and awe for a natural world we can quantify with science but can rarely predict with emotion."
—Tod Goldberg, USA Today

"Heller puts his knowledge of canoeing and currents to fascinating use. He has created indelible characters in Wynn and Jack, pals who are almost exact opposites: the former a bearish galoot who’s convinced that people are basically good, and the latter a pessimist who’s convinced that their only hope for salvation is to paddle as fast as they can."
—Ross Gray, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Another superbly crafted adventure-action-mystery story… Reminiscent of James Dickey’s classic Deliverance… The beat of Heller’s novel builds to a furious pace."
—John Newlin, New York Journal of Books

"Engaging...satisfying... Terse and tight. Short, lyrical paragraphs are packed with action and keep the story moving along... Like a lot of backcountry missions, the most compelling parts of the story aren’t necessarily the rapids or the high-risk moves. Instead they’re the quiet moments where Wynn and Jack are coupling their rods together and wading slowly through vivid, tannic streams."
—Heather Hansman, Outside Magazine

“It is a rare literary feat when an author is able to marry plot and prose with the soaring majesty that Heller achieves in The River.”
—Drew Gallagher, Fredericksburg Free Lance Star

The River

It was okay. A bit boring but I guess it would depend on the mood you are in. Saw lots of potential for some exciting listening but it never happened.

Thrilling!

I sruggled to take a break from this one! One of my favorites. (:

Outstanding

Great narration of a gripping story. I highly recommend this book for anybody who likes outdoor adventures.

Great story well told

A very well told and totally enthralling story of being in nature and paddling on rivers and through forests. You really feel like you are in the canoe with the two main characters the entire time. Grabs you and won’t let go.

Hold on to your seats!

Wonderful
Could not put the book down.
Having seen the Teton Mtns on fire; close enough to hear the trees busting into flames, I was waiting with anticipation on how author was going to write about the fire. Peter Heller did a marvelous job! Breath taking.

The river

A spectacular vision of high adventure combined with a true love and knowledge of nature. Simply fantastic

Destined to become a classic

This is the best book I have read since To Kill a Mockingbird. As a matter of fact, half an hour after I finished it I started it again. The author's prose is spare, but evocative of place. His characters are timeless. His prose is lyric. It a perfect book. Everyone should read it. Everyone.

My only complaint, admittedly a minor one, is that the reader needs to learn to pronounce two words:
1. "Dour" does not rhyme with "hour." It is pronounced "dure."
2. "Clapboard" is not pronounced "clap-board;" it's pronounced "clabbard."
Like I said, minor, but annoying.

Read this book. You will be glad you did.

a first time read for this author.

deffinitly not the last one. the story was compelling and a great adve ture between 2 very close friends.lots of twists and turns to do the right thing.
it was like being I. the canoe on the entire journey.

High hopes

Not bad but not great. The Texans were too stereotypical. From Texas and they drink and rape etc. yawn.

Boring, self-indulgent

I was hoping for a good story. It’s more like something your high school English teacher would make you read, except not a classic.