First, There Is a River

Set in 1900, Steffen’s debut presents a captivating view of life aboard a riverboat a century ago, but minimal character development makes it hard for readers to become attached to the novel’s protagonist, Emma Perkins, an Ohio woman who leaves her abusive farmer husband, Jared, to serve as a cook aboard her uncle’s riverboat, Spirit . Despite the often laborious work of providing meals for crew and passengers, Emma is glad to be free of Jared’s vicious physical and verbal assaults. At the same time, she misses her young son and daughter, sent by Jared to work at a neighbor’s farm. A love triangle emerges among Emma, Capt. William “Briggs” Briggham and Gage, Spirit ’s solitary engineer, but subplots involving a riverboat race and the love life of Emma’s assistant, Lilly, detract from the potency of the primary plot line. (Sept.)