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mjkienbaum's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
spyderqueen33's review
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
krobart's review
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/day-823-black-river/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/day-823-black-river/
ja3m3's review
4.0
Black River was an excellent read and I would be very surprised if S.M. Hulse is not up for the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. It has been a long time since I read a book with this depth of characterization. It was also an interesting study on how one event can change, impact, and direct the course of a life. Highly recccomend.
pato_myers's review
2.0
I didn't really get into the book. I gave it a shot, but it was depressing and didn't have anything to look forward too. I need some goal or hope for the story to come up pretty much at the beginning and this didn't have that.
readhikerepeat's review
4.0
Black River is about a broken man named Wes who returns to his home in Montana with his wife’s ashes to set her to rest. While there, he reconnects with his distant step-son and struggles with whether or not to speak at the parole hearing of the man who broke him – an inmate who held him captive in a prison riot for 39 hours. You see, Wes was a corrections officer and a musician, and both were taken away from him that fateful day.
The story begins with Wes’ journey home and, as it unfolds, bits and pieces about that horrific day and its impact on him and his family come to light. The reader gets a glimpse into the aftermath, including how it affected his relationship with his stepson, which is tenuous at best. As Wes grieves and tries to move forward, he befriends a young outsider, a newfound relationship that will change everything.
Black River is a dark read that will take you on the winding road to redemption. It’s about a man coming to terms with both his past and his future, which are so entwined that it adds a beautiful complexity to an otherwise predictable story.
This review was originally posted at The Book Wheel.
The story begins with Wes’ journey home and, as it unfolds, bits and pieces about that horrific day and its impact on him and his family come to light. The reader gets a glimpse into the aftermath, including how it affected his relationship with his stepson, which is tenuous at best. As Wes grieves and tries to move forward, he befriends a young outsider, a newfound relationship that will change everything.
Black River is a dark read that will take you on the winding road to redemption. It’s about a man coming to terms with both his past and his future, which are so entwined that it adds a beautiful complexity to an otherwise predictable story.
This review was originally posted at The Book Wheel.