Book of the Month, Historical Fiction

Catfish Holes and Small-Town Woes

Posted by TheOkieReader on

The River We Remember

BY William Kent Krueger

In The River We Remember, Jimmy Quinn’s body washes ashore after catfish had been feasting on it for a few days. As Brody is trying to solve the mystery of his death, the town’s restaurant owner, Angie, often sends him food. One of her specialities in blackened catfish. Commemorate Jimmy’s death while getting a taste of Angie’s cooking by making this recipe for blackened catfish, courtesy of Easy Family Recipes.

My long absence is coming to a close as I find myself 2/3 of the way through my student teaching semester. However, just because I haven’t been posting lately doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading. I’ve simply had to pause my writing and reduce my reading time.

Last month, I was excited to start The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger. His book, This Tender Land was one of my favorites, so I couldn’t wait to pick this one up. While I liked This Tender Land a little more, The River We Remember is definitely a recommendation that I will give to other people. I also had to giggle at how it linked together different components of my life– I am from Oklahoma, but I am currently living in Japan. The Bluestones as a couple are very relevant to my life.

It’s the day of the Decoration Day (Memorial Day) parade in 1958. During the parade, Herman Ostberg rushes into the jail where Sheriff Brody is playing chess with his prisoner, Felix. He tells them that Jimmy Quinn’s body had just washed up by the bridge in County Seven, and the channel cats (catfish) had eaten him. Brody, Herman, Felix, and the newspaper editor, Sam Wicklow, head down to check it out.

When investigating the crime, Brody waits until nobody is looking and wipes down all the evidence he finds.  He later reveals that Jimmy Quinn was a hard man that was not liked by many, and he didn’t want any of his neighbors to be arrested for his murder when they probably had a good reason to be upset with him.  The town soon turns and assumes that Jimmy was killed by Noah Bluestone, who was Native American.  Noah was married to a Japanese wife, Kyoko.  Kyoko was a bombing survivor at Nagasaki.  Racism runs deep in the town, especially in the post-WWII environment, so most townsfolk don’t question Noah’s involvement despite a lack of evidence.

Noah refuses to enter a plea or defend himself, although he will not admit guilt either.  Charlie, the town’s tough-as-nails female lawyer, decides to defend him.  She feels like Noah is protecting someone, but he will not say who.  Meanwhile, one of the town’s main troublemakers, Tyler Creasy, is leading the charge against Noah.  Tyler is married and often drinks and beats his wife and his stepson.  His stepson’s name is Del Wolfe.

Del is friends with 14-year-old Scott Hamilton, whose mother, Angie, runs the Wheel Wagon, the town’s restaurant. Recently, Brody ended a longstanding affair with his brother’s wife, Garnet, in order to start dating Angie. Scott has a hole in his heart, but he is a good person who loves to help people. 

As Del experiences more and more abuse at the hands of his stepfather, the hatred in him begins to build.  He begins exposing Scott to dirty magazines and taking him out shooting.  One day, he convinces Scott to go tubing with him and a couple of cousins.  One of the beautiful girls, Holly, begins to drown when her swimsuit snags in the river. Scott saves her life. 

Despite his hero status, Scott has to watch Del spiral out of control. The consequences of his anger and immature decision making will change the makeup of the town forever.

The River We Remember is a beautiful tale of loyalty and love. It is about standing up for what you believe in, but more importantly, who you believe in. Each character’s actions can be traced back to a series of misfortunes, but at the core, love and loyalty permeate them all. While the book was a little slow at times, I believe it is an entertaining read that helps navigate the difficulties of small-town life.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Rating System Explained

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:  This was an amazing book, and I can't stop thinking about it.   It impacted me emotionally or changed my perspective.  My thoughts keep flickering back to it at random times throughout the day.  I will absolutely recommend it to my friends or to one of my book clubs.

4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:  This was a really good book.  Parts of it stuck with me, and I might mention it in a conversation.  There is a high likelihood that I will recommend it to my friends or to one of my book clubs.

3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️:  I liked this book.  It allowed me to escape from reality for a while.  While I might tell somebody about it if I think it will interest them, I will probably not suggest it to one of my book clubs.

2 Stars ⭐️⭐️:  There's something about this book that I didn't like.  I wasn't willing to go all the way down to a one-star rating, but I'm definitely not digging it.  I may recognize that this book is not for me, but it might be for other people.  I will not recommend it to my friends or one of my book clubs.

1 Star ⭐️:  My rarest rating.  I really didn't like this book.  Something in the story line upset me, and I probably "hate-read" the majority of the book.  Not only will I not recommend it, but I will actively tell people that I did not like it.

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