The River, Peter Heller

This is the first book of Heller’s I’ve read and he does well describing what it’s like on an adventure in the outback, the wilderness, and the rivers that are ‘out of bounds’. Dialogue is scarce and he lets the surroundings and nature tell the story. Wynn and Jack are best friends, experienced outdoorsmen… they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada where they envision long days of leisurely paddling, nights below the stars, reading books, and enjoying what mother nature always provides – solitude and wholeness. But then a wildfire making its way across the forests adds a sense of urgency to the trip. Then they hear a man and woman arguing on a riverbank, and after passing by, decide to go back and warn them about the fire. They’re gone. Soon, they see a man paddling alone. The same man they can’t be sure. So when they go back and find the woman severely injured and in desperate need of help and assistance, they begin an urgent trek to paddle out to safety and save her. This is when the actions begin in a wilderness survival story that plays out only as Mother Nature allows it – death and consequences.