River Current by M. Lee Martin

Revealing a striking glimpse into the past, and reminding readers of time’s healing power, River Current by M. Lee Martin is a delicately penned novel about the family we choose, and the time it takes to heal old wounds.

After the death of Mrs. Viola Meeks, a beloved force in Westfall, Missouri, a group of estranged childhood friends returns home after more than a decade, unsure of what they might find, or what battles remain unfinished. The author pulls readers through both past and present in a seemingly innocent portrait of small-town life, but there’s an edge of darkness that lingers just beneath the surface. The opening chapters set this simmering foundational mood, while drama and tragedy seem to linger around every corner of the prose.

Constructing an emotionally charged exploration of memory, Martin portrays the wildness and passion of youth as accurately as the bitterness and resentment of age, engaging readers in a conversation about desperation, womanhood, societal expectations, and the inevitability of change. The simple and straightforward storytelling makes the book highly accessible, but the narrative occasionally relies on tropes, including self-referential questions in the narration, and a habit of telling rather than showing.

All told, however, the majority of the colloquial-laced writing is sharp and smart, while the relatable and flawed characters at the beating heart of this story make it both thought-provoking and entertaining.

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