great book.

THREE WORDS: READ THIS BOOK.

 

 

In a debut effort that I find difficult to label as anything other than an “instant modern classic,” Leif Enger has created a tale that is gripping, unique, and above all, beautifully written. 

Enger’s prose is brilliant and poetic, and his characters are quite simply some of the best I’ve ever read. I found myself loving some characters, hating others, and often finding the line between those two emotions to be fantastically and, as I came to understand Enger’s style, intentionally blurred. 

The most reasonable comparison I can offer is the timeless “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee. The innocence of Reuben (the narrator) immediately calls to mind the voice of Lee’s Scout, a likeness that is only strengthened by the fact that both of the accounts are retrospective. I realize that this is lofty praise, but Enger’s writing holds up to such demanding scrutiny. 

I won’t give a long plot summary here, as I’m sure there are plenty of those out there already. I will say this, though: if you enjoy poetic, well-written, and original books and have even the slightest appreciation for character development and vivid imagery and laugh-out-loud description, you simply owe it to yourself to go out and pick up a copy of “Peace Like a River.”