Review: A Compelling & Heartbreaking Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 24, 2013
Are we haunted by the sins of our parents, doomed to make the same mistakes they did? "A River Rose" explores this issue through the eyes of four young people. The story begins when they are children. Christian, the son of a gangster, is in love with Emily, who, along with her brother, Derek, is being abused by her father. Derek implores Christian to lure the old man down to the river, where they kill him. Christian is caught and sent away, during which time he has no contact with Emily. When he finally comes home, Christian seeks to reconnect with the woman he loves, but he finds she is no longer the same person. Further, she wants him to help her and Derek again, this time by getting rid of their mother, who Emily claims is as bad as her father."A River Rose" is compelling, heartbreaking, and realistic. The reader will simultaneously empathize with and be repulsed by the emotionally damaged main characters. What would you do under the same life circumstances? You will keep asking yourself that question long after having turned the last page.