Will I love The River Is Waiting?

Wally Lamb is a New York Times bestselling author. The River Is Waiting is Mr. Lamb’s third Oprah Book Club selection. This book is a very deep human struggle about a young father “grappling with unbearable tragedy as he searches for hope, redemption, and the possibility of forgiveness.” 

This is an emotionally tough book to read. Once a reader finishes reading The River Is Waiting, that book, the characters within, and the raw experiences they live through will end. They will linger in all the darkest places.

Could you live with yourself if you accidentally killed your own child? While this novel doesn’t directly answer this unsettling question, it does put us inside the head of Corby as he navigates guilt, rehabilitation and forgiveness from a prison cell. Yes, this novel at times feels like it’s falling short, and maybe that’s the point. Sometimes we mess everything up and can’t quite find a way to make it better.

Of all the many things I loved about this powerful novel, the one that most grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go was the central character, Corby (warning: spoiler-alert). Sent to prison for the unimaginable crime of accidentally killing his own son while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, Corby was, at first, an immature and self-centered man-boy, the sort that America produces in abundance. At first, as many would in such a horrific situation, he tries to deny or at least deflect much of his own guilt—onto his wife, his cold father, the authorities, anyone but… show more.

This was a tough read, dealing with addiction and the death of a child. But, at the same time, it was uplifting in demonstrating the resiliency of the human spirit. Wally Lamb's books never disappoint, even though they are often door-stops in length because he has a finger on the pulse of the human condition.