The River Is Waiting (Oprah's Book Club)
A Novel
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4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK | A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
#1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb, celebrated for two prior Oprah’s Book Club selections, returns with an exceptional third pick, an “incandescent” (Oprah Daily) novel following a young father grappling with unbearable tragedy as he searches for hope, redemption, and the possibility of forgiveness.
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?
An “immersive novel of redemption” (The New Yorker), The River Is Waiting is another “soul-wrenching” (NPR) masterpiece from celebrated author Wally Lamb.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Guilt, growth, and the best and worst sides of humanity come into focus in Wally Lamb’s compelling gut punch of a novel. Struggling with addictions to alcohol and pills, stay-at-home dad Corby Ledbetter causes the accidental death of his two-year-old son and gets a three-year stretch in prison. His time there, which occupies the bulk of the book, changes him forever as he encounters both unspeakable ugliness and inspiring compassion. Lamb chronicles Corby’s journey in a style that’s short on flash and long on organic flow and engrossing dialogue. From the smallest details to the most outsized emotions, every moment feels utterly real. The darkest parts will shake you and the brightest parts will warm your heart and possibly bring a tear or two. It’s no beach read, but The River Is Waiting pays off the emotional investment it requires big-time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Lamb (We Are Water) chronicles a family tragedy and its aftermath in this heart-wrenching story of redemption. Childcare duties fall to Corby Ledbetter, a young father with a hidden addiction to booze and Ativan, after he's laid off from his advertising job. Though his teacher wife, Emily, is patient and loving, Corby has lost momentum in his job search, finding it easier to zone out with a pill and some shots of Captain Morgan. He's a devoted dad to two-year-old twins Maisie and Niko, but he's clearly impaired when he causes an accident that results in Niko's death. The bulk of the novel comprises Corby's experiences and soul searching over a three-year prison sentence, during which he struggles with the loss of his freedom and the cruelty of two sadistic guards who punish him for defending a disturbed young inmate. He also forms friendships in the library and with his cellmate, Manny; reflects on his upbringing by an abusive father and hippie mother; and fears how Emily and Maisie will react to his release. Though the narrative is a bit baggy, Lamb lays bare the vagaries of his protagonist's life in accessible prose and concludes on a bittersweet note. This will please the author's fans.
Customer Reviews
Beautifully sad and truthful
An engaging narrative about the tragedies of life in prison and other disturbing aspects of US culture
Contrived
Difficult to get through. It reads like a book report with contrived historical, social, and political references. It was nowhere near as emotionally gripping or compelling as the story could have been. The characters were flat. I skimmed the last thirty pages.
WOW
This is the first Wally Lamb work I have read. I couldn’t put it down. 10/10 recommend.