The River We Remember

There are some books where you immediately know exactly who everyone is and how they fit together. The River We Remember was not that book for me.

There are a LOT of characters, and in the beginning I found myself trying to remember who was who and how everyone connected. But stick with it. As William Kent Krueger develops the characters and their stories, they become much easier to keep straight, and honestly, those characters are what ultimately make this book so good.

Set in small-town Minnesota in 1958, the story begins when wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found dead in the Alabaster River. Sheriff Brody Dern is tasked with figuring out what happened, and what starts as a murder investigation quickly becomes much more about the people in this town, their histories, their prejudices and the things they would probably rather keep buried.

And Brody was probably the character I was most drawn to.

He is a good man, but he is definitely not a perfect man. There were moments when I felt genuinely bad for him and others when I was disappointed in the decisions he was making. I think that's part of what made him such an interesting character. You can like someone and still really question some of their choices, and there is plenty to talk about with Brody. Even a few times I thought, 'did I just read that correctly?'

The other thing I really loved was the setting.

Krueger does such a beautiful job describing the river and the landscape that even with everything happening in the story, there are moments that feel incredibly peaceful. You can almost picture the river, the sky and the quiet around the characters. It keeps reminding you that you're in another time and place without making the book feel like a history lesson.

And don't let “historical fiction” make you think this isn't a thriller. There is still a murder to solve, secrets to uncover and a few surprises along the way. I liked seeing a familiar mystery/thriller storyline play out in a completely different time period.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely.
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I especially recommend The River We Remember for a book club. There is the mystery itself, but there are also so many conversations underneath it; about judgment, prejudice, loyalty, trauma, forgiveness and whether a person can be both good and deeply flawed.

Just give yourself a little time at the beginning to figure out who everybody is. It pays off.

What might go in your glass for this one?

This book calls for something earthy, layered and quietly complex rather than a big, bold red.

A Pinot Noir fits the peaceful Minnesota landscape and those scenes along the Alabaster River, but it also has enough depth for a story filled with complicated people and old secrets. It feels like the kind of wine you'd slowly drink while talking about Brody's choices long after book club was technically supposed to be over.

Basically: a little earthy, a little complicated, and more going on underneath than you first realize. Very much this book.

Pour Another Glass & Discuss at Book Club🍷