The River Warren: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Fine Work from the hinterlands of South Dakota
Review: Ordinary folks inhabiting any small town in rural America are the multifaceted characters plying the pages of "The River Warren". At the same time the insights brought to the reader through these people living on the fringe of our culture are rather extraordinary. The story is set in motion by Tow-speed Crandall who crashes his tractor trailer loaded with cattle through the streets of a quite Minnesota hamlet, killing driver, passenger and most of the cattle on board. The main characters of the book are connected to the dead occupants in interesting and surprizing ways that are revealed layer by layer as the story unfolds. Every chapter's title is the name of the person speaking, each character offering a varied perspective of the commings and goings of Two-Speed and his truck. Using this interesting literary device Kent Myers gives his story solid form, a backbone so to say. Still the pros are as fluid and varied as the person doing the talking. By design the town(the community) comes to know itself a little better, and I might add, so does the reader. Myers infuses the story line with an undertow tension, a mysterious ebb and flow, not unlike the River Warren itself. At novel's end, we are sitting with people much like ourselves, men and women of light and shadow, maybe a little rough around the edges, all in need of some form of redemption. The author does not disappoint in this regard, transforming his characters and readers in subtle, lasting ways. A fine piece of work that easily warrents its place on the printed page, no doubt worthy of further reflection and much more praise than I am able to give here.

Rating:
Summary: A small town tries to comprehend a bizarre act
Review: Using the voice of various citizens of a small Minnesota town, Kent Meyers tells the story behind a tragic act.

Two-Speed Crandall crashes his semi through town, killing himself and his doomed wife and cutting a pointed path of destruction. Though no one in town claims to really know Two-Speed (even his own son), they fumble with their collective knowledge of this man and his past behavior in attempt to understand his final act.

The reader begins the book hoping to learn more about Two-Speed Crandall's life, but instead, we are shown the inner-workings of a small community and how intertwined their lives are. Each voice is distinct and each character well-defined through his/her own thoughts as relayed to the reader.

What's so fantastic about this book is how the author nails each character, makes them unique, quirky, yet solid. In the end, there are no unanswered questions, just acceptance.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting, wonderfully written novel
Review: When Two-Speed Crandall crashes his pick-up in the middle of town, killing himself, his wife, and a load of cattle, his surviving family and townspeople speculate as to whether the crash was voluntary, and what led up to it.

This story is told through various persons' thoughts and observations: family members, the only person who witnessed the crash, the local gossip, and others. Each one has separate pieces to the puzzle, so the book made me think of the old story about three blind men trying to describe an elephant, each feeling a totally different part.

The writing is brilliant. You feel like you "know" each of the narrators. At the same time, these differing perspectives result in the development of complex characters. For example, Two-Speed, who generally is a jerk to most people, at the same time secretly befriends a local mentally retarded man in a truly kind way.

The writing also was so clear that I vividly "saw" the town of Cloten, the fields, the river and the events as they unfolded.

I understand that this is the author's first novel, and hope that there are more to come.