Can a person be made for The River?

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I began The River. It is a story about a river and its place in the life of Gabriel Clarke. How could someone be made for the river? Yet, Gabriel was. Losing his father at a young age to The River, Gabriel moves from Colorado to Kansas to live with his mother. He fears the water now and wants nothing to do with any river. As the years go by, he begins to see that a river is not something to be feared. Then comes the day when friends invite him to go to Colorado with them to camp, go river rafting and to explore the river. Gabriel starts to remember things from those early years and begins to accuse The River of taking his father from him. 

The more I got into this book, the more I began to see and understand the struggles Gabriel was facing. He was trapped by the chains of fear and resentment, trapped by circumstances that would affect his life unless he could gain his freedom. Returning to Kansas after the trip, Gabriel felt the pull of The River and so returned to Colorado to the river rafting camps. He goes to work at one of the river camps and meets people who help him to better understand The River and the affect it has on the lives of those who love it. He also starts to understand that The River did not take his father from him. As a seasoned rafter, his father lost his life while saving the life of someone else. With this knowledge, he realized that his destiny, his home is here with The River. He was made for The River.

I recommend this book, giving it five stars. It is a story of the freedom that awaits all of us when we face our fears and no longer give them control over our lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”