Peace Like a River

"Peace Like a River" is the bestselling first novel of Leif Enger. God has gifted Mr. Enger with the wonderful talent wriitng as I feel this is one of the great literary pieces I've read.

Synopsis: Reuben Land tells the story of the ordeal he and his family endured during his childhood, eleventh year to be exact, as his older brother Davy takes revenge into his own hands and kills two other teenage boys for attacking his family. Davy goes on the lam prior to his sentencing, and Reuben and his family, including little sister Swede and dad Jeremiah, take to the road to find him.

Jeremiah Land is a man of God and capable of performing miracles that seem only his son Reuben has witnessed. Little sis Swede is a talented writer of prose at the age of nine years old writing poems to help her comprehend the task at hand of finding Davy. Reuben suffers greatly from asthma, which in this 1960's setting he is barely able to endure. Upon God's leading, they go in search of Davy and meet several remarkable characters along the way who impact their lives and not always for the better.

The real story takes place between the main characters while the hunt for Davy takes a backseat on several occasions. Enger does a beautiful job of detailing each character, my favorite being Swede, the real literary genius in the story. I was quite impressed with Enger's talent for prose as well as overall good storytelling. The tale is serious yet humerous as I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions.

I would highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy poetry and words. Overall, the book signifies the trials we face as Christians, seeing that sin is not always black and white, and that God is the One who really knows all the answers.