Story Description:
BelleBooks|April
6, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-61194-123-4
Broken in body and
spirit, thirty-year-old, Roslyn Byrne secludes herself in the mystical
wilderness of Manny’s Island Georgia. Can
she find herself in the sweetness of old songs, old ways, and the gentle magic
of the river people?
Kimberly Brock is a
native Southerner, a former actor and special needs educator. Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines. She lives with her husband and three children
north of Atlanta, Georgia. The River Witch is her first novel. Visit her at kimberlybrockbooks.com
My Review:
Roslyn secludes
herself in the wilds of a Georgia island surrounded by beauty and a beautiful
river. After an accident that ended her
dream of becoming a ballerina and losing a baby, she spends two months is this
mystical and strange place with which she learns to come to terms with the
river people and her life.
I was mesmerized
by this story from beginning to end and read it in one sitting. It was like paddling my own canoe down the
lazy river partaking in the lives of the characters who were so clearly defined
that I felt I knew each on intimately.
The Trezevant family was an odd bunch all searching for something in this
life while listening with their hearts to the stories of the past. This novel evoked a great deal of emotion for
me.
Little
ten-year-old, Damascus was an absolute charmer who lost her mother to cancer at
very young age and was left with her angry, non-responsive, unemotional father
who rarely spoke to her except to say things like: “Do we got milk?” or “Can I
run that laundry?” She received no
affection from him whatsoever, that she got from visiting the elderly at the
local nursing home by allowing the old people to touch her, pat her on the
head, and hold onto her hands. She said
“they just love it….it’s kind of gross.”
I think Damascus loved it as much as they did for it was really the only
form of affection she herself got and that made me terribly sad. However, Damascus introduces, Roslyn to
alligators and hoodoo magic in this gothic setting.
I was immensely
disappointed when her father, Urey didn’t have the decency to show up at the
family dinner Damascus had worked so hard to prepare. And I thought to myself, “How DARE he show up
at the end and waltz in after it was over and Damascus and JB were out canoeing
on river.” I loved that Roslyn slapped
the pie plate off the table and told him he didn’t deserve to eat even that one
chunk of crust in the bottom of the pan.
I could picture myself standing beside Roslyn waiting for her to finish
berating him just so I could lite into him myself!
Roslyn, Aunt Ivy,
and her cousin, JB were influences in her life and provided her with most of
the things she needed. Aunt Ivy
homeschooled Damascus, JB spent a lot of time with her and Roslyn presented as
a friend, but also entertainment for Damascus in trying to figure out exactly
who this woman was that rented their summer cottage. But no one can take the place of real mother
and father.
The ending was
totally, totally unexpected regarding the letter and seeds that Damascus’s
mother left behind for her before she died.
What letter and seeds you ask?
You’ll have to read the story to find out.
Kimberly Brock’s
debut novel The River Witch is a
beautifully written story of enchantment and intrigue and loss and healing
complete with rich and vibrant imagery.
It was like listening to the voices carry across the water in the dark
of night. I felt immensely close to each
of the characters and like them all for various reasons. Each brought an important part to the story
and without their input the story wouldn’t be what it was. In my opinion both Roslyn and Damascus’s
stories were equally heartbreaking.
This is one book
I’ll be highly recommending and kudos to you Ms. Brock for a well-written novel! Congratulations and well done! This is one
story that will stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page. I
can’t wait for a second book.
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