Book Review: "The River"

It pains me to write this review. 

When I first heard of Michael Neale’s “The River,” I was ecstatic. I could not wait for the postal worker to deliver it to my doorstep. When I opened the package, I was thrilled! I truly believed I was going to be reading a life changing book. 

I then made a fatal mistake; I read it.

This book promised to deliver to me an experience that I would cherish for some time. The back cover of this novel exclaims that this book“will transform how you see yourself and the world.” Save your time and your money; “The River” does not stand up to this promise. 

We follow Gabriel, who after witnessing a tragic event, tries to live a normal life without falling victim to his past. But that’s about as deep as it goes. Character development, if you can even call it that, is incredibly minimal. We do not learn to love any person in this book, nor do we even feel for his situation. Characters, such as a school teacher and old friend, come and go without any notice. I failed to even see their significance after awhile. The attempts at symbolism were weak, and the plot twists became more than predictable after awhile.

I kept waiting for that spark, for something to change my mind and drawn me in, but it never came. 

“The River” is definitely a quick read, but it absolutely left much to be desired. If you are looking for something to kill time with, you might as well try it. Maybe I missed something along the way. But if you are as excited to read this as I was, prepare to be disappointed. At most I can only give this book 1.5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.