Book Review: “The River By Starlight” by Ellen Notbohm

“The River By Starlight” by Ellen Notbohm (2018)

Genre: Fiction, Literature

Page Length: 353 pages (advanced reader copy)

Synopsis:

Annie Rushton leaves behind an unsettling past to join her brother on his Montana homestead and make a determined fresh start. There, sparks fly when she tangles with Adam Fielding, a visionary businessman-farmer determined to make his own way and answer to no one. Neither is looking for marriage, but they give in to their undeniable chemistry.

Annie and Adam’s marriage brims with early promise and unanticipated passion, but their dream of having a child eludes them as a mysterious illness of mind and body plagues Annie’s pregnancies. Amidst deepening economic adversity, natural disaster, and the onset of world war, their personal struggles collide with the societal mores of the day. Annie’s shattering periods of black depression and violent outbursts exact a terrible price. The life the Fieldings have forged begins to unravel, and the only path ahead leads to unthinkable loss.

Based on true events, this sweeping novel weaves a century-old story, timeless in its telling of love, heartbreak, healing, and redemption embodied in one woman’s tenacious quest for control over her own destiny in the face of devastating misfortune and social injustice. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

The River by Starlight reads as literary fiction, but is set in the early 20th Century. The story follows Annie, a divorce who moves to a new place to get a fresh start. There she meets up with her brother Cal and reconnects with him. Through living with her brother, Annie tries to create a new future for herself while also developing a close bond with Adam, a neighboring farmer.

Annie is frazzled as she is constantly haunted by her past and the mistakes she’s made. She has a hard time letting go, but is trying to move on the best she can. Adam is a new ray of hope for Annie. Adam is a hard-worker and a good man, but he has many underlying trust issues which will come into play during their relationship. Their marriage starts out as happy, but as time passes and their insecurities come to light things change. On top of that, but as time passes tragedies occur that test their relationship and puts a strain on everything.

The writing flows smoothly, but the first quarter of the novel is so dry that I had a hard time getting invested in the story and characters. Everything moved a bit too slowly. Throughout the book the readers get an intimate pov of Annie hardships, it absolutely heartbreaking all of the horrific things she goes through and you empathize with her struggles. Almost everything is stripped away from her and you wonder if she’s ever achieve some kind of piece.

Among the many themes discussed in this book I never felt that it was overwhelming and they’re carefully woven into the text. Notbohm touches on gender double standards of that era (where women’s actions have harsher repercussions), abandonment, grief, and mental illness.

I can tell that Notbohm did her research in this book, carefully detailed. wonderful novel about love loss and heartbreak. It was difficult to read at times but has many important narratives. For a debut novel this is magnificent. I would love to read more from this author in the future.

Trigger warnings: death, mentions of suicide, violence

Final Verdict: