Peace Like a River - Leif Enger - rather tedious reading

I’d seen rave reviews on “Peace Like a River” and thought it sounded like a book I’d enjoy. “One of Time Magazine’s Top Five Books of the Year” and also noted by Christian Science Monitor, Denver Post, and the LA Times, Leif Enger’s debut novel was at the top of my list to read.

Though I can see why “Peace” appeals to many readers, I personally drifted off every night when I opened the cover and tried to dive into the story. Typically I’d finish a book in a couple of days. This one took almost two weeks to read. I can say that I’ve been more rested than usual the last while though, so that’s a plus.

“Peace” is the story of the Land family. There’s the hard-working, God-loving father Jeremiah, Davy the oldest son, Reuben a pre-teen, and Swede the baby sister around age 8 or so. Reuben (also known as Rube) is the teller of the tale, so the tone and feel is of the world through the eyes of someone about 12 years. Rube still thinks his father walks on water and is impressed by and notices things that most adults would not. Since Rube is asthmatic, he also sees the world though sick-colored-glasses. Reading the book was rather like being in the car with a very chatty kid and on a very long trip.

Throughout the story, there are miracles galore. These are, I assume, family tales passed down and shared as stories are in close families. In the Land family, the tales are often religiously inspired and rather off the chart. Twice Rube should have been dead—both at birth and then later in the book. But, the hand of God channeled through his father keeps Rube going. Jeremiah apparently became one of God’s favored after he was picked up by a tornado and tossed 4 miles away unharmed. These tales I found hard to swallow.

The center of the story begins with an attack on a girl in the locker room. Jeremiah, the school janitor, catches the trouble makers and stops the attack. The Land family then pays for this act of kindness when the bad guys begin to harass the family. The boys go so far as to snatch Swede and haul her off. Though she isn’t seriously harmed, this is the last straw for Davy who is not the kind to wait for God to intervene. He sets up the bad guys and then shoots them dead.

During the trial Davy escapes and runs off. The Lands wait to hear from him while dealing with federal agents looking to track down the teenage killer and complete the trial. When the Lands inherit a travel trailer, they hit the road and begin to search for Davy. Perhaps I drifted off, but I never did figure out how Davy escaped or how it was that someone happened to will a travel trailer to the Land family. These were maybe more miracles of unexplained natures.

Mixed in with the story are writings by Swede. She is fascinated with rhyming tales of the old West. Rube is mightily impressed and inserts many of her pieces throughout his tale. Generally, I just do not like to see poems and stuff by fictional characters scattered throughout novels. Though I could see that her work mirrored some of the family trials and tribulations, I would complete the Swede sections and then have to go back and read again due to my mind drifting off kind of like when driving roads familiar.

The overall style of the book could probably be called poetic. Enger is quite descriptive in his writings. The overall mode in more in line with books published during my grandparents’ generation than mine or the current era. I suppose that if I had hours and hours to kill and no television and computer, then perhaps the wordy approach might fill some hours and be more appealing. As it stood, I was generally bored and wished Enger would get on with the story.