The River: A novel [J0282]

2020 PB in nice clean condition. From the author of The Guide and The Dog Stars comes the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip-a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence. Wynn and Jack have been best friends since college orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. One night, with the fire advancing, they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank; the next day, a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the same man they heard? And if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Peter Heller's The River is a rare novel that combines the relentless tension of a wilderness thriller with the depth and beauty of literary fiction. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Canadian north, the story follows two friends whose canoe trip becomes a profound test of courage, loyalty, and survival."; "Heller delivers another thrilling ride - great characters and an engrossing story. A must read for anyone interested in his work"; "This was one of those rare books that dealt you that real feeling of impending doom, something bad coming right up behind you, and the entire book was built on this momentum. I absolutely loved it from start to finish and I was wrapped up from the very first chapter."