Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

**From the Stacks Challenge**

Enger's novel was once selected for one of my past books clubs; however, due to reasons I cannot remember, I was unable to read or attend that monthly session. I have heard from many that this book is a good read, so I decided why not make it one of my challenge reads?

Here is a quick synopsis from the back cover . . . Enger brings us eleven-year-old Reuben Land, an asthmatic boy in the Midwest who has reason to believe in miracles. Along with his sister and father, Reuben finds himself on a cross-country search for his outlaw brother who has a been controversially charged with murder. Their journey unfolds like a revelation, and its conclusion shows how family, love, and faith can stand up to the most terrifying of enemies, the most tragic of fates.

The book is written from Reuben's point of view. We get to hear really only his side of the story, his version of the miracles and the tragedies. For me, I oftentimes, had a difficult time getting into the story from his perspective. I was personally more drawn to his sister, Swede. Maybe because I saw so many characteristics in her that I could related to. She was a writer, constructing her own cowboy poetic tale of Sundown and Valdez. The stories of Sundown and Valdez were fascinating to me . . . to see how Swede interpreted what was happening in her own life and putting it into her own words and her own created world. That was my favorite part of the entire book! As for the rest of the book, it was good. Actually, I would rate it above average to be fair. It's a slow-moving read at times and I'm not sure if all the details were needed (at least not for me), but it was good.