Erica Ferencik | The River at Night
I finished The River at Night late last night and had to sleep on my review! This was definitely a bit closer to my reading palate cleanser than I had imagined, but I liked it a lot!
Plot:
Winifred Allen needs a vacation.
Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.
What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare: A freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.
With intimately observed characters, visceral prose, and pacing as ruthless as the river itself, The River at Night is a dark exploration of creatures—both friend and foe—that you won’t soon forget.
Plot:
Winifred Allen needs a vacation.
Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.
What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare: A freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.
With intimately observed characters, visceral prose, and pacing as ruthless as the river itself, The River at Night is a dark exploration of creatures—both friend and foe—that you won’t soon forget.
Review:
This one started off kind of slow for me. We are quickly introduced to Winifred Allen and kind of get an idea as to the kind of person her bestie Pia is. They quickly discuss this new adventure for their annual girls trip with two other friends and then the adventure begins!
In the beginning of this, I kept mixing up Sandra and Rachel as I felt that Pia and Winifred were more or less stronger characters.
The adventure begins with the ominous travel out of the city of Boston and into the wilderness of Maine. Like the plot, the scenery changes drastically as we have our first moment of holding your breath as you flip through the pages.
As the four women quickly dive into their adventure, the tensions are high and the element of nature takes a huge role in this book. While an "adventure thriller" isn't necessarily something I usually read, I really did enjoy this one a lot!
What I really liked about this was that it really showed how the nature element changes a person, both good and bad.
Ferencik did a fantastic job of showing the relationships and the individual pasts of these four women as they embrace this girls trip and ultimately have to fight for their lives. The tension factor was really controlled rather well throughout the book, escalating as the pages flew by. For me, this was a quick read that I really took my time reading and enjoyed every minute of it.
So, if you're looking for a thriller that really has phenomenal character development that is equally as important as the plot and something that goes way beyond your typical stalking, murder, mystery element, I would highly suggest this read.
Rating: 4/5
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