If you have never stood on a mountain top, watched the mist
rise and open to a view of a raging waterfall that drops down into a gorge of
smooth, flat river water, then Michael Neale can show it to you. His book, The River, is a marvelous journey
through one man's life from boyhood to manhood. The use of the river as
symbolism is felt from beginning to end, and much like a river flows, never the
same from moment to moment or mile to mile, so is the life of Gabriel Clarke.
In Gabriel Clarke, his mother and the friends they meet
along the way, Michael Neale has created realistic characters that allow the
reader to become immersed in their story. The rich vein of honesty that runs
through the book will give the reader opportunities to chuckle over their own
past and the memories The River
kindles.
Those readers seeking a book filled with hope will find that
hope flows captured in the smooth tale Michael Neale voices. Life is filled
with moments that are not always smooth as glass, much like the river, life can
become a raging torrent that bruises. Yet, no matter the bruises, in our lives
we find those who can heal us body and soul. Gabriel finds those people and the
richness they offer makes him a man to be proud to know.
The River never
seemed to have a point where I could lay it down and come back to it. No, this
is a have to finish it tonight kind of book. From the strength of the opening,
the words flow around the reader, pooling within the heart, soul and mind.
Story tellers have been a part of human history since man
first gathered around a fire. Michael Neale shows us that fabulous tradition is
still alive and well. Like other modern story tellers such as; Cormack
McCarthy, Sandra Cisneros or Gabriel Marquez, the author has bound up the
traditional story telling art form with a modern twist.
