cover image River

River

Lowen Clausen. Silo Press, $14.95 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-9725811-2-7

Inspired by a 1,700-mile, 50-day kayak voyage novelist Clausen (Third and Forever) and his daughter took from Nebraska's Loup River to where the Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico, this novel is narrated by a bereaved father following the same route. Haunted by his grown son's death, his failed marriage and his own unfulfilled childhood dreams, the middle-aged man, known only as John, leaves his ranch and sets off in a homemade kayak named ""Gloria,"" pursuing an echo of Huckleberry Finn's search for freedom and identity. Though his self-pity can be overbearing, John gradually opens up to the reader through flashbacks, dreams and conversations, revealing a complex character unsure of his own motives and desires. Clausen's best moments turn up on dry land, where John runs into a cast of intriguing characters, but the majority of the action occurs between man and river; as such, the plot can get stuck in slow-moving waters. Still, Clausen's vivid prose and attention to detail should keep the readers' interest, especially those intrigued by river kayaking.