Peace Like A River, Indeed
“A miracle is no cute thing but more like the swing of a sword.”
What can I say about this book? I literally wept.
After hearing from multiple people for years that it’s one of their favorite books of all-time, I finally added Peace Like A River by Leif Enger to my book club lineup for this spring. Every month, a few friends and I meet in our barn studio to discuss a fiction book, and we’ve been meeting for over 3 years now!
I finally finished Peace Like A River on a cool early May evening sitting on the chilly grass in our front yard about an hour before book club began. While I was completely engrossed and hunched desperately over the book in my hands, racing to find out the ending but also wanting to savor every last word, my oldest daughter passed by and asked me what I was doing. I looked up at her with tears in my eyes, almost confused by the world in which I was immersed within its pages vs. the world in which I was sitting in real life.
What did I love about this book? Goodness, where do I start…
Leif Enger’s composition of phrases that are so laden with emotion and imagery that they tear you open.
The rich detail and sense of place that made me feel like I was traveling with Reuben and his family through the Minnesota winter.
The precious, loyal, kind, faithful father figure.
The smart, spunky sister character, Swede.
The storyline that sends chills through your bones and keeps you on pins and needles until the very last few pages…
…and finally, the ending that takes your breath away.
This photo shows how I felt about this book as soon as it was done. How immersive and transformative stories can be! Peace Like A River will remain one of the dearest pieces of fiction I’ve read and probably will ever read. An absolute masterpiece.
If you haven’t yet read it, now is absolutely the time!
