Peace Like a River

This article is about the novel by Leif Enger. For the song written by Paul Simon, see Paul Simon (album)

Peace Like a River

Author	Leif Enger
Language	English
Genre	Novel Drama
Publisher	Grove/Atlantic Inc.
Publication date	2001
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	320 pp
ISBN	9780802139252

Peace Like a River (2001) is a best-selling novel by Leif Enger, who took the title from the lyrics of the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul", which was performed at his wedding. Enger wrote the novel to amuse his family, taking story suggestions from his children and giving the lead character asthma to encourage one of his sons, who also has asthma.

A film version written by Kathy McWorter was scheduled for release in 2009, but has since been delayed until 2011.[1]

Plot summary

The novel is narrated by Reuben Land, an eleven-year-old boy suffering from severe asthma who lives with his unusual family in a small Minnesota town in 1962. His mother abandoned the family years before; his younger sister and best friend, Swede, writes epic poetry at age eight; and his father, Jeremiah, a school janitor, is a man of faith who quietly performs miracles – one of which is to bring Reuben to life after he is born dead.

The Lands' quiet lives are disrupted one night when Reuben's older brother Davy kills two intruders (Israel Finch and Tommy Basca) and is charged with murder. When he escapes from jail during his trial, the Lands leave home to go in search of him.

They go first to their best friend August Schultz's farm after receiving a discreet post card hinting that Davy might be there. When they arrive, however, they find Davy has left but also receive an update on him. From there they continue on the road. As they search, however, they repeatedly encounter a federal agent named Martin Andreeson, who is also on Davy's trail.

They adventure out into the West, which is a romantic scene for Swede, and fitting for Reuben and Jeremiah considering their lung condition (Jeremiah recently overcame an illness prior to the journey). The family has no real plan for travel, and simply makes stops where fitting, eventually winding up at a home with a gas pump, with need for a purchase.

The woman who owns the gas pump, Roxanna, allows the family to buy gas, and rent rooms in the house during a storm. The storm is quite severe, however, and the family decides on an extended stay. Roxanna becomes like the mother that the children never had, comforting them in their losses, telling them exciting stories about her grandfather's adventures with Butch Cassidy, and even helping Reuben with his health. Finding Roxanna is considered one of Jeremiah's last miracles.

During their stay, Reuben makes contact with Davy, meeting him in the wilderness and his fellow hideaways, Jape Waltzer and a girl known simply as Sara. Waltzer claims to have "bought" Sara from her father in Utah and raises her with the intension of one day marrying her. Waltzer also appears mentally unstable, abusing Sara and forcing eccentrics on others. The more Reuben sneaks away from the family, the worse his health becomes. While Reuben suffers from his lungs, Andreeson comes across the family once again striking an agreement with Jeremiah, after he hints he is coming close to finding Davy. Reuben warns Davy, who seems unconcerned.

Eventually, Reuben tells his family, and (after convincing from his moral father) officials in the search. A search party is formed, with Reuben in the lead, who tries at one point to disrupt the search. His attempt failed, however, and the search continued to Jape's cottage, only to find it empty, except for Martin Andreeson's discarded fedora, leading officials to believe he has been killed.

The family returns to their home in Roofing, Minnesota, where Jeremiah marries Roxanna and the family finally settles in, though Swede refuses to forgive Reuben for not telling her he had been seeing Davy. One night, three months into the family's arrangement Davy appears at their home with Sara, claiming to have escaped Jape. The family spends the entire night catching up with him, and agree that if he must get back on the road, Sara can live with them. The following morning the family walks outside to see Davy off only to Jape Waltzer waiting outside patiently. He fires a rifle once, hitting Jeremiah in the side. When Reuben runs forward after his injured father, he is shot squarely in the chest. The next chapter is a sequence in which Reuben is in a heaven-like place, where his breathing is normal and he can run freely. He is at the bank of a river, ready to go in when he meets his father, who dives into the river instead. Reuben awakes to find his father dead and he still breathing even though his father suffered only minor injuries and he suffered ones that were certainly fatal. Reuben owes his father his life for one last miracle.

Themes

The religious themes running throughout the novel are overt. Miracles play a central role not only in plot development (Reuben's birth and death stories, moments during their traveling when they are miraculously undetected by state troopers and when their car doesn't run out of gas), but also in seemingly less consequential parts of the story. The crack in Swede's saddle is fixed, the superintendent's face is healed of its scars, Jeremiah walks on air while praying. These seem to demonstrate that the miraculous is all around for those who have eyes to see such things. In this sense, it is important to note that it was only Reuben who had noticed, and he had to inform Swede of their father's miraculous acts. And yet the miraculous was not a power to be used and manipulated at will. Reuben reflects at one point that his father had not healed his asthmatic lungs.

Love of one's enemies is another of the religious themes. Jeremiah's responds to the superintendent who mistreats and humiliates him with grace and forgiveness. The obnoxious traveling salesman Lurvy is accepted into the household. Jeremiah even comes to terms with the family's sworn enemy Mr. Andreeson,the federal investigator who is on Davy's trail. This eventually transforms Reuben's attitude toward the investigator as well. Love and forgiveness win over revenge. Davy's continued life on the run from justice, while having a certain romantic charm to it for those intrigued with stories of western outlaws, misses out on the fullness of life that is enjoyed by the rest of the family--even in the face of tragedy.

Reuben the narrator emphasizes repeatedly the role of the witness. This conjurs up the parting words of Jesus to his disciples in the book of Acts, "You will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Reuben has not argued for or defended his beliefs with philosophical propositions. He even admits that doubts sometimes come to him. But the reality of his experiences trump those doubts. He concludes the matter by saying, "Is there a single person on whom I can press belief? No sir. All I can do is say, Here's how it went. Here's what I saw. I've been there and am going back. Make of it what you will" (p. 311).

Awards and nominations

• Winner, ALA Alex Awards; best adult novel for teens.

• Winner, Independent Publisher Book Award
• Booksense book of the (selected by the Independent Booksellers of America)

External links

• A review from Bookreporter.com.
• A reading group guide.
• [2].