Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Short Summary:
The Land family enjoy and idyllic existence until the oldest son, Davy, is arrested for a double manslaughter. But when Davy breaks out of jail and flees into the bleak Dakota Badlands, his father Jeremiah must gather his younger children and pursue the outlaw into the wilderness. Their epic journey leads them all to a place from which there is no return: a place that will test them almost beyond endurance and stretch the ties that bind them to their absolute limit…
My Review:
If anyone were to ask me what “faith” means; what it looks like, feels like and reads like, one of the first things I would do is recommend this book.
11 year old Reuben Land was saved from a 12 minute death by what can only be described as Gods Hand. He goes on to narrate a story that is so heart-breakingly beautiful that I had to pause several times to catch my breath before diving back in.
There is a section toward the beginning of this book where Rube talks about miracles; about how we are so quick to label every day delights under the label of “miracle” when a miracle is something that should make us sit up and be disturbed, because a miracle disrupts the normal, every day things we are accustomed to.
So what is Rube’s purpose as a narrator? It’s to be an 11 year old brother bearing witness to one of the most miraculous things that could happen. It’s to take us by the hand and lead us through a journey that’s filled with tragedy, loyalty, love and the immeasurable faith of a father who loves his Father.
There are characters in this book that I adored – Swede, the 8 year old sister with a knack for poetry that sent shivers down my arms. Roxanne, the miracle sent to Rube and his family in a time of desperate need. And Rube’s father, a man who turns to God for the answers to every problem, be it big or small.
I’m so jaded when it comes to Christian literature; most of what I’ve been exposed to in the last several months has been filled with cliches and happily ever after endings. This book is a portrait of what life in faith is like; filled with all of the doubts and human responses and the ultimate redeeming sacrifice a father has for his child in what can only be described as a miracle.
