North River

A disillusioned doctor in Depression-era Manhattan endures family troubles and threats from the mob in this novel by the author of Forever.

"Hamill . . . has crafted a beautiful novel, rich in New York City detail and ambience, that showcases the power of human goodness and how love, in its many forms, can prevail in an unfair world."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)


It is 1934, and New York City is in the icy grip of the Great Depression. Dr. James Delaney tends to his hurt, sick, and poor neighbors—gangsters and Tammany chieftains, veterans and prostitutes—with enormous compassion. But privately, Delaney's heart is frozen; he is haunted by the slaughters of the Great War and the departures of his wife and grown daughter.

Then, on a snowy New Year's Day, the doctor returns home to find his three-year-old grandson on his doorstep. To cope with this unexpected arrival, Delaney enlists the help of Rose, a tough, decent Sicilian woman with a secret in her past. As Rose and the boy begin to infuse the good doctor's home with new life, the numbness in Delaney slowly begins to melt.

Recreating 1930s New York with vibrancy and rich detail, Pete Hamill weaves a story of honor, family, and one man's simple courage that no reader will soon forget.

"North River might be the best book Hamill has written since A Drinking Life. It is about New York, and the '30s, about parents and children and grandchildren and friendship and love and honor. Buy it as soon as you can." —New York Daily News

"A wonderfully old-fashioned, big, wet cinematic kiss of a novel." —Los Angeles Times

"Hamill is not ordinarily thought of as a historical novelist, but if, as the saying goes, the shoe fits, wear it. It is an extremely good fit here." —Booklist (starred review)

"Hamill tells a good yarn and has a knack for drawing empathetic portraits of rogues and rule benders." —San Francisco Chronicle