Go As A River is a stunning debut novel by Shelley Read that examines the resilience and grit of women in response to unimaginable trauma. Set in 1948, the story follows Victoria Nash, a young woman from a family farm in Colorado, as she is faced with a life-altering decision. Through her journey of self-discovery, she must confront loss, hope, and her own strength.

The novel begins with an incredibly powerful Prologue that paints a vivid picture of the impact of building dams on the natural landscape and people’s history. The first-hand perspective really hammers home the gravity of the situation. Shelley Read’s descriptions are uncommonly vivid, perceptive and nuanced, bringing alive on the page our capacity to connect with and derive energy from nature.

Victoria Nash’s heart wrenchingly stoic first-person narrative and painfully swift coming-of-age is basically told chronologically, without overt structural complexity or linguistic swordplay. For me this novel’s power stems from the depths to which it plumbs raw and authentic emotions. Shelley Read explores with an engaging juxtaposition of sensitivity and pragmatism, the scars of bigotry, racism, war and women’s inequality.

Victoria Nash’s story is no Disney movie. She carries burdens larger than she ever should have had need to, but does so with inspiring grit, determination and dignity. Go As A River is a powerful story of survival and becoming, of the deepest mysteries of love, truth and fate. I highly recommend Shelley Read’s Go As A River to those looking for earthy, simply told yet powerful historical fiction that provokes reflection.

Shelley Read is a fifth generation Coloradoan who lives with her family in the Elk Mountains of the Western Slope. She was a Senior Lecturer at Western Colorado University for nearly three decades, where she taught writing, literature, environmental studies, and Honors, and was a founder of the Environment & Sustainability major and a support program for first-generation and at-risk students. Go As A River is inspired by the landscape she comes from and will be published in over twenty-five territories.

Go As A River is a thought-provoking novel that will stay with its readers long after they finish it. It is a reminder that to live well and authentically is a choice that we make in our everyday actions. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an emotionally powerful read.