Get Thee to A Bookstore . . . Now

Three things happened when I finished this book. First, tears sprang to my eyes. Not of sadness nor of laughter, but from amazement that a book can be so well written. Next I shot off this email to two friends, subject: “Get thee to a bookstore.” Body: “OK, you two lovers of words, this one's for you. I just finished Peace Like a River. My goodness.” Third, I was inspired to write this Epinion, my first since last August.

Not since The Prince of Tides have I been so spellbound by a writer’s craft. And the novels, both at the top of my all-time favorite list, have similarities. The narrator Reuben, now grown, tells the miraculous tale of his childhood through his 11-year old eyes. A childhood in which a very special sister plays an important role. And like Pat Conroy in Tides, author Leif Enger composes miraculous poems fictitiously penned by the sister.

So just how good is the writing? Witness this paragraph where Reuben and his sister Swede see their soon-to-be stepmother, Roxanna, in a new light:

“Her hair was roped back, and she held before her a picnic basket with a clasped lid. For heartening sights nothing beats a well-packed picnic basket. One so full it creaks. One carried by a lady you would walk on tacks for. Does all this make her sound beautiful to you? Because she was—oh yes. Though she hadn’t seemed so to me a week before, when she turned and faced us I was confused at her beauty and could only scratch and look down at my shoetaps, as the dumbfounded have done through the centuries. Swede was wordless too, though later in an epic fervor she would render into verse Roxanna’s moment of transfiguration. I like that phrase, which hasn’t been thrown around that much since the High Renaissance, but truly I suppose that moment had been gaining on us, secretly, like a new piece of music played while you sleep. One day you hear it—a strange song, yet one you know by heart.”

I’ve come to realize that a bit of magical realism in a book—such as Like Water for Chocolate, As it is in Heaven and yes, The Prince of Tides (somewhat)—makes it very appealing to me. I guess it’s because it shouts loud and clear, “I’m fiction, and I’m proud of it.” It doesn’t take itself so seriously as, say a John Grisham novel. But don’t get me wrong, you’ll find some serious stuff in Peace Like a River; no, it certainly ain't fluff.

From the paragraph quoted above, do you get an inkling of how well Enger describes events and people? You don't just read this book, you see it and feel it. It's so personal. Of course the first person narrative helps, but there's something more to the way Enger draws his characters (even minor ones) picture perfectly. And even though the action takes place in the early 1960s in Minnesota and North Dakota, at times you actually feel transported into the Wild West, complete with homesteads, horses and outlaws.

I hope I’ve already convinced you to read Peace Like a River immediately. So, please don’t ask me to summarize the plot for you. Reading it on the book flap almost prevented me from reading the book. (I don’t like murders and fugitives and such, but I do like coming-of-age stories). Though a very good tale, it shouldn’t matter to you if you claim yourself a lover of wondrous writing. You should read this book for the writing alone.

But to give you a bit more to go on, I will quote from Grouch’s excellent review, the one that made me read Peace Like a River (Grouch has never lead me wrong): “Enger . . . . stakes his own territory to create a story about family, faith and fugitives that’s as rich in language as it is plot. . . . Peace Like a River bears more than just a passing resemblance to To Kill a Mockingbird. In both novels, parents are a deep and abiding mystery; and childhood, which once seemed to stretch forever, is marked by self-awareness and a sense of closure.” (for more of the storyline, read the entire review, Let There Be Peace on Your Bookshelf http://www.epinions.com/content_43384671876).

What amazes me is that Grouch’s review sat here for quite some time as the only one of this book on Epinions. Hasn’t anybody else read it or been inspired to Epinion it as I was? The book is easy to find at your favorite online or brick and mortar bookstore. It’s currently #23 on the New York Times Bestseller list and was listed on Borders.com among their selections for the Best Fiction and Literature of 2001.

And one more amazing thing to sum up all the miraculous things about this book: Peace Like a River is the author’s first novel. My goodness. Leif, are you working on another one yet? Please?