After reading “I Cheerfully Refuse” by Leif Enger, I eagerly looked for his past work. This is the first one I read and it has all of the lyrical writing, character development and compassion as well as challenges, evil and confusion about right and wrong that I found in his newer book, yet it is decidedly its own story. In Peace Like a River, the narrator is Reuben, initially age 11 year, son of Jeremiah, a school janitor who once was attended medical school. He has a brother, Davy, age 17 and a sister, Swede, age 9 but old and wise before her time. Their mother left after trying to make a go of her new prospects and has not been heard of since. It is 1962.
As we learn more about the family background, we find that Jeremiah is a man of great faith and that some “miracles” are attributed to him, including his reviving Reuben as a newborn when his lungs did not work. Reuben is very asthmatic throughout the novel. Swede is an aspiring writer, fan of all things “old west,” one of those kids that would do well in a quiz bowl, emotionally intelligent and very close to Reuben. Jeremiah is a “turn the other cheek” kind of guy, but a feud with some vagabond neighbors gets uglier and uglier and eventually leads to Davy killing the two guys responsible.
I only include potential spoilers if the publisher’s description of the book gives things away and this one does. Davy is convicted of murder, but he escapes from jail and hits the road. Serendipitously, the family receives a bequest that allows them to hit the road looking for Davy. It is a quest, a coming of age story, chock full of fabulous characters, some representing good and evil and very sad at times. There is an FBI agent, a dangerous recluse, a silent teenaged girl, a divorced gas station owner in the middle of nowhere (female), old friends in the North Dakota Badlands, various townspeople in their original home of Lands, a traveling salesman and more. Despite the sorrow, it is a story of hope. The writing is breathtaking and full of metaphor and literary references. It is can’t put it down (in my case, turn it off) reading. No wonder I Cheerfully Refuse was so riveting. Just because I never had heard of Leif Enger does not make the rest of the world ignorant. Really: You should read both of these five star novels. I’m going to read the rest of his novels including those he cowrote with his sister, as I find time. What a writer!
I read this on Audible. The narrator, Chad Lowe was amazing for every character!
They Called me Bookworm 