Thom is a bright youngster who, in spite of his naivete, possesses the knowledge and language of a much older person. He might or might not be autistic, but aren’t we all? Elwin addresses Roma, the boy’s mother.
Elwin is a passive study. He resembles a piece of flotsam floating aimlessly in the current, only changing course in response to impediments in his route and bouncing off rocks. His capacity to go on with his life and form relationships appears to have been hampered by the passing of a boyhood friend.
Regal House Publishing is credited.
Regal House Publishing is credited.
The tale begins with a father and son traveling to Kingstree, Elwin’s childhood home, after being called by Linda, Elwin’s estranged father’s dying girlfriend. The following two days are spent in the Lowcountry, alternating between a dilapidated shack on the Black River, where the Old Man resides and eventually passes away, and the dilapidated Kingstree Inn motel, where Thom first meets Lily, his first love interest.
Elwin and the Old Man, dressed in the same reserved attire, try to work out their complex connection with few words. As they see the child’s developing transformation from boy to man, their shared love of Thom gives them a common bond, even though it is unsaid. Thom’s candid, talkative demeanor serves as a pleasant counterbalance to the older men’s tendency toward quiet. The women who adore the men and boys, Linda, Lily, and Roma, who suddenly appear, orbit them like moons around a globe.
The river plays a significant role, as the title suggests. Hard lessons are learned, perilous situations are faced, and journeys are undertaken. Notably, the Black River flows swiftly just below the surface, although appearing slow and unbreakable from above.
Ruby Floyd, Kingstree’s oafish undertaker with awful people skills who also operates a real estate company on the side, becomes a complicating element. She is pursuing Elwin for his price because she has her eye on the Old Man’s riverfront property. She occasionally imparts some insight despite her obnoxious demeanor.
She warns Elwin that dying causes odd things to happen to the living. It never makes sense. Suddenly, someone is gone, and those who remain begin to say and do things that seem completely new. Physics is strange. All we can do is cause a reaction since every death is an action.
Elwin has a lot of experience in that area. As expected, the Old Man’s passing causes events that Elwin could not have predicted. Ultimately, when the Old Man’s survivors choose what their new normal will entail, Elwin learns that, in terms of interpersonal relationships, a sense of loss is what unites us all.
On September 7, Gould speaks with author Julia Franks at A Cappella Books. Visit acappellabooks.com for more information.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s contributing editor and book critic is Suzanne Van Atten. You can contact her by email at [email protected].
