The River Why is more than just "inspired"; it is "enlightened". For those who have trouble with my linguistic rating system (as opposed to the standard numerical rating system), that's pretty much the best rating I can give something. Think of it as an 11/10.
Not to say it's "prefect", mind you. 9.9/10 might be more accurate because nothing'll ever get the rating of "perfect" from me; it's just not possible to be perfect. If something is perfect, I'll be ready for the world to end; it'll be just around the corner. There are plenty of things in this book I take umbridge with: it gets laughably sappy in a few places, and tiringly preachy in others. There are some philosophies espoused by the book I'm not entirely in agreement with, but most of those I can still appreciate.
Much better than something I could completely agree with. How boring is that? There'd be no reason for me to keep working if someone else had already said everything I wanted to say in one place.
What first drew me into The River Why was the language. The story is told with such ease and fluidity, I thought it was a memoir before I realized the author wasn't named "Gus". The characters are very well rounded, full of detail and life, and even the 'bad guys' aren't all bad. The style is very natural, yet a little unusual and therefore interesting. And it's funny. Jokes provide an excellent ice breaker, and while they peter out a bit the further you get into the story, replaced by a thoughtful and at times depressing narrative, they remain an engaging relief.
My biggest disappointment had to do with the ending. I was hoping that Duncan wouldn't do what I expected him to do, but he did. However, he also through in a surprise which made the ending very, very satisfying. Almost cloying, but I enjoyed it immensely.
Such things were common as I read The River Why. It bounced in my esteem between "Brilliant" and "Good" and "OK" a lot. I was ready to say the second half wasn't what the first half promised, then there were the "Garden People" and I was ready to call this the best book in the world again. There were sections that made me knock it down a few pegs, but they were followed by such excellence that it would recover its ground.
The overall plot was paced very well. So well that it could pass off as non-fiction. This isn't a novel with a dense plot with multiple threads to weave into a whole, this novel is one thread that you get to know very well as it winds around toward the end. You get to see where it frays, you get to know it's twists, eventually the whole is revealed, and it remains detailed throughout. It never rushes.
Be warned that this book is densely philosophical and spiritual. While I found it to be very moving, I know it's not for everyone; even if it is funny enough that it doesn't take an exorbitant amount of energy to read.
The last thing to say is that I am highly skeptical about the upcoming movie. Not that it would be impossible to make a movie, nor even a Hollywood style 1.5 hour movie; but David James Duncan isn't even credited as having written the book, let alone as an overseeing producer or some such thing. With that distance from the source material rightout out the gate, I assume the movie will get as "What the Fuck was That" from me. But I'll still see it. Eventually. I may not be willing to give them money to see it, in case it is as butchered as I expect it to be, but I'll see it some time.
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