What the River Keeps

Bostrom (Sugar Birds) transports readers to rural Washington State in this evocative if unsteady tale of truth, memory, and moving forward. Biologist Hildy Nybo hides beneath her polished exterior a lifelong struggle with amnesia, which she manages by collecting daily mementos and avoiding the childhood home where her struggles began. When a new job on Washington’s Elwha River forces Hildy to return to the fishing resort where she was raised, she’s more determined than ever to hold tightly to her fragile memory—and keep her imperfections hidden from everyone around her. Things get complicated when she meets Luke Rimmer, a good-hearted carpenter whose faith makes Hildy tempted to discard her mementos and open up to the world. But as Hildy spearheads an ambitious project to return the Elwha River to its former glory, the insights her work reveals about her childhood risk closing her off to Luke—and her faith—altogether. Though the novel is brightened by lush, atmospheric landscape descriptions, Bostrom’s reliance on plot contrivances and rigid exposition may leave readers feeling disconnected from the story and its otherwise appealing characters. It’s a mixed bag. (Aug.)