Book Review: Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

This book was recommended to me by one of my FB friends. I went to the library to get it and it has been checked out for months! Finally, I went at the beginning of this month and it was there. I was a little nervous reading it because I had been waiting a while to get my hands on it and naturally did not want my waiting to be in vain. It wasn't. This book was wonderful. It was not a thriller where you were on the edge of your seat with your stomach in knots but it was definitely a page-turner nonetheless. It is told from the perspective of an eleven year old boy who has grown up. There is a strong theme of family and what that looks like and what it means deep down. I love family themes as I am close to my family and love to hear, read and watch about other families. I will give  you a basic gist of the story. Ruben, the main character, is a young boy growing up up north with his father, big brother, Davy and little sister, Swede. There are some local bullies and they have threatened Ruben's family however Davy handles the situation. Because of Davy's actions he is now in trouble and on the run. Ruben is torn deciding what is truly right - loyalty to his brother or being compliant with the law. 

Enger is a wonderful writer who focuses on so much more than just the basic plot. He explores the true meaning of family and the trials of growing up. I feel this book is timeless. It is relevant now and will be relevant for many, many years to come. 

The only thing I did not like about this book was the parallel Enger included. Swede, the younger sister, is an epic poetry writer with a passion for the wild west. Enger uses her on-going western poem to parallel with his current story. I didn't like it. I didn't think it was very relevant and was a weak attempt at doing such. Despite this minor detail I still loved this book.

I recommend reading this book especially if you love To Kill a Mockingbird. Please let me know if you read it and what you think! Enjoy!

-L

P.S.

This book was located in the Christian Fiction section of my library, which I thought was wierd, but if you're looking for it you might want to start there.