The River (A Novel) by Michael Neale

Gabriel Clarke is mysteriously drawn to The River, a ribbon of frothy white water carving its way through steep canyons high in the Colorado Rockies. The rushing waters beckon him to experience freedom and adventure. But something holds him back—the memory of the terrible event he witnessed on The River when he was just five years old—something no child should ever see. Chains of fear and resentment imprison Gabriel, keeping him from discovering the treasures of The River. He remains trapped, afraid to take hold of the life awaiting him. When he returns to The River after years away, his heart knows he is finally home. His destiny is within reach. Claiming that destiny will be the hardest—and bravest—thing he has ever done. The author does a good job of visually creating in my minds eye the location of The River. A very beautiful river, peaceful and at times, dangerous. Very descriptive. The plot was well thought-out; however, I found the story to be really long at some points. I felt the story could have moved along at a quicker clip then it did. There are a lot of characters in this story; the author only really develops one of them-Gabriel. The end of the story just stops, you don’t really know what happens to any of the characters, which left me feeling like something was missing. Most of the characters were one dimensional, nothing really to them. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”