TWO RIVERS
T. Greenwood
Kensington
Fiction
ISBN: 9780758228772
T. Greenwood’s latest novel isn’t exactly what one would call “lighthearted,” and it’s not the most straightforward story, either. There are stops and starts, flashbacks and plot twists, bruised characters (some temporarily, some not so temporarily) and a protagonist who fluctuates between pissed off and emotionally blocked. But if there’s one thing that TWO RIVERS does well, it’s that it gets a reader to thinking about premature death, betrayal, selfishness, and through all of it, the possibility of redemption and forgiveness.
The novel opens with a flashback. It’s the fall of 1968. There’s a gruesome scene unfolding: three white men, one black man begging for his life on a riverbank. We don’t recognize the players yet, but we do know that something is about to go terribly wrong. We also find out that Betsy Parker, the narrator’s wife, is dead --- and we suspect that the scene at the river has something to do with it.
Flash-forward 12 years to another grisly event. A train has derailed in the small town of Two Rivers, Vermont, and Harper Montgomery (the narrator) is there to sort through the wreckage and save anyone who might be injured. Out of the rubble comes a pregnant 15-year-old girl named Maggie, who latches herself onto Harper and begs for shelter. Never mind that she’s the only dark-skinned person seen in Two Rivers in eons, Harper agrees to take her home with the caveat that she’ll continue on her journey as soon as she can get back on her feet --- at least that’s what his plan is (more on that later).
A chapter or so later, Greenwood takes us back again to where the story of Harper and Betsy began, long before him being with his raven-haired neighbor was even a possibility. She describes Harper’s childhood crush on Betsy so flawlessly and instills his gaze with such fervent longing that it’s nearly impossible not to squeal in relief when Betsy finally does give Harper the time of day.
In fact, what makes much of this book so enjoyable is Greenwood’s knack for capturing what it feels like to be so in love at such a young age --- even if it’s unrequited --- when you can’t imagine breathing, let alone going to school one more day, if the one you’re desperately in love with doesn’t figure it out soon. Harper and Betsy’s burgeoning friendship into romance (think star-gazing in tree houses, sneaking into abandoned barns, lazy afternoons at the swimming hole) feels wholly believable and a welcome break from many of the young adult novels we read today, which are either terribly angsty or too mawkish to stomach.
On the flipside, Greenwood also explores the fallout of feeling trapped. Betsy’s seemingly perfect mom kills herself (she swallows a bottle of pills) after too many years of catering to her husband’s bowling league schedule. Harper’s mom flees her seemingly repressive, small-town family to volunteer for SNCC. And of course, there’s always Betsy, who wants nothing more than to escape the confining streets of Two Rivers and move to Paris, but who is stuck there after her father has a stroke --- and when she gets pregnant to keep Harper out of Vietnam.
And there’s more. What starts off as a mildly complicated plot evolves quickly into a knotty mishmash of racial tension, bad parenting, long-held grudges and late ’60s politics, where each character is made to sacrifice their dreams and no one gets away unscathed. At times, the back and forth between present and past becomes a bit discombobulating, and readers might feel an affinity toward reading the chapters set in the ’60s as this is where most of the action takes place. But nothing will surprise readers more (well, at least this reader) than finding out who Maggie really is. In addition to filling in some of the plot holes, her “unveiling” adds depth to other characters who might otherwise seem flat.
TWO RIVERS isn’t an easy read, but it’s a worthwhile one. If anything, it enables us to rethink our own rules of living --- our judgments, our fears, our resentments --- and remember just how good it feels to forgive even in the most dreadful circumstances.
--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling
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