Across the Winding River (Review)
by Aimie K. Runyan
Many like this book…just not me 🙁
This was my first read of this author. My expectations were high but barely met.
The story is told through three POVs in three different time frames – Beth (present day) is the daughter of Max, a dentist who served for the Allies in WWII; Max (during WWII-era) who at first wants to go to war and then becomes a medic in France; Johanna (WWII-era), a female engineer for the Nazi Luftwaffe (German air force). Hence, right out of the gate, the reader may be confused. The jumping back and forth between time frames and narrators loses the ability to “hook” the reader effectively in the first few chapters. And each chapter is written in first-person (i.e., “I did this. I did that.) but it’s three different narrators. After a few rounds of narrators (chapters), however, I was able to follow the rotation well.
The basic premise is that present day Max (as seen through his daughter, Beth) is looking for a woman he met in France in WWII who was part of the German resistance. He’d spent much time right after the war searching for her and would have married her if he had been successful. Beth is told this story early in the book by her father and seems to take it ridiculously well (that her father was much more in love with a woman from his past than her own mother).
Without spoiling too much, the book delves into numerous themes including the harsh treatment by the Nazis of anyone with a hint of non-Aryan genealogy, the role of women in the war, the environment of fear in Nazi Germany, and how love and humanity can triumph in such a bizarre environment.
What was good about the novel? It’s an easy read. It weaves all the characters and plot points successfully, that is, all the loose ends are tied up at the end. The historical perspective of living inside Germany during the war is somewhat unique. Johanna was clearly the most interesting character. It “may” be a nice love story if… (read below)
What was not so good? Beth was about as flat a character as you can get. There’s an attempt at a romantic relationship in the book with her and another, but you may not care and it seems superfluous to the plot. She’s really only there to narrate. Much of the historical portion of the book seemed glossed over as if the author learned just enough to make it historical fiction. Dialogue is flat and uninteresting in many places as well.
What was bad? The plot is contrived. There are two HUGE coincidences in the book that may challenge readers’ suspension of disbelief. When I hit the first one, it nearly stopped me from finishing the book. This is the reason for my lower rating. The novel doesn’t really seem to move toward a climax. Most novels try to stretch the tension and heighten the stakes toward the end. Even in the last 10%, there’s a spot where a couple of characters are speaking to each other like its another day in the park. My brain was saying, “Move on with it!”
All the negative comments above aside, I believe there is a segment of readers who will enjoy the story. It’s a positive, loving, kind of feel-good story. If that’s what you are looking for and can easily suspend your disbelief, go for it.