Episode 41: [BOOK CLUB] Discussing Go As A River by Shelley Read

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Our Book Club selection for the month of August was Go As A River by Shelley Read and we’re talking about it in this week’s podcast. There is so much packed into this novel that is both enjoyable for readers and for writers. We balance our discussion this week with insights for both, but definitely lean into what we learned as writers. We’re not putting all of the details in the newsletter because we, of course, want you to go listen for yourself, but we’ll share a brief overview of what we touched upon and hope that, if you haven’t already, you’ll add this book to your list. For writers, we talk about the brilliant flow of adding backstory in scenes where the main character, Victoria, touches an object, such as her father’s rifle, and it brings up a memory that gives us insight into her experience and her family’s history. It’s an approach that is both reflective of the human experience, because we all have stories to tell about objects in our homes, but also lends itself to a seamless flow of language that doesn’t disrupt the story. There’s poetic language that you can find on just about every page of the book. It creates a rhythm to the story that is very engaging. It’s a great reminder of how poetry is a resource for writers of all genres to explore the precision and beauty of language. We also touch upon character development, the 3 Act structure, writing about a place, and how this novel, while fiction, can also help memoir writers. For readers, we discussed how the book just kept getting better and better with each turn of the page. In a workshop we attended led by the author, Shelley Read, she talked about how as she’s traveled the world now on her book tour that so many readers have come up to her to gush about how well she creates the feeling of belonging to a place. It creates a connection between people because we all have places in our lives that touch our heart, and this book accomplishes that for readers. Also, there’s a main character that you’re rooting for from start to finish as you read. It’s what readers expect. They want to have a main character they believe in and read about their transformation. It definitely happens when you read this book.

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