The River Why was recommended by a regular reader, and for the life of me, I can’t remember who. Maybe more than one, for all I know. I ordered it, one late night, off Amazon, and the book sat in my “to read” stack for many months. Might have been there for over a year.
I cracked it open, and I was immediately disappointed with the Bantam Trade Paperback binding – just piss poor glue. No two ways about that. I may one of the biggest fans of “not influenced by appearance” but in this case, the way the pages dimpled in the binding’s gutter, it just didn’t sit well. It’s like, every page has a little hills and valleys, making the last word on the line harder to decipher.
However, the novel is “coming of age” story. Or it’s a fishing story. Or it’s a story about fishing and spiritual matters. It’s about the battle between effete flyfishing and bait-drowning. Damn funny in places, how the protagonists parents met, alone, is worht the price of admission. The biblical references to fishing, too, are quite worthwhile, since, in part, the book examines the delicate balance of the spiritual aspects of fishing.
Funny, too.
“Except Hemingway. He sat apart, staring at his rod tip, wordless and vigilant, a humanoid osprey.” (page 204)
Tangents: All hail Britania! (There’s a strong English accent, from the protagonist’s father, and later, from a philosophy mentor, in The River Why.
Test patterns
A favorite fishing photo-op. Perfect for Fishing Guide to the Stars splash page?
