Five friends. One dog. One river carrying a secret that will upheave their world.
When one of Ethan’s friends goes missing, everything comes crashing down for his group of childhood friends in the small town of Greenfield. Ethan takes it hard. Only his brother and his beloved dog can comfort him. Until another tragedy shakes his world and leaves it in a heap of ruins.
Desperate for a fresh start … ruins.
Desperate for a fresh start and a new lease on life, Ethan follows his brother to The Big Apple. But even when he meets the woman of his dreams and his career takes off, he is plagued by the dread of another looming loss that could take it all away. Will his reconciliation with the past come at too great a price?
All rivers carry their secrets, but not every river keeps its secret forever.
January River is a moving coming-of-age story spanning the lifetime of one man haunted by dark secrets and hidden memories. With a faithful dog as his guiding star, join his journey in the pursuit of healing and forgiveness.
Buy January River to dive into the mystery of this sweeping story of friendship, guilt, and the power of love!
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January River is the third book I’ve read from author Bernard Jan. Although he’s written a few others, they are in his native Croatian language, and I must wait until they are translated into English. When this one became available in early April, I jumped on the opportunity to get a copy and schedule it in my queue. I finished the novel over two days this week and now it’s time to share my thoughts on it.
January River seems like an unusual title, right? What does it refer to? A body of water in a certain month? A name of a place or person? An expression that is truly a metaphor? Possibly all three… and as each major component of the book unfolds, readers learn the title has multiple meanings. As the cover suggests, the golden retriever plays heavily into this story. The tale is full of webs or tentacles; we hop around a little bit in time to follow the life of a few characters. I will tell you upfront, this is no easy book to devour due to the tenacity of the story to impact you. Some will live. Some will not. But the author does all the right things to make you feel the emotions of the characters throughout the novel.
Essentially, five friends grew up in a small mid-western town. An eerie event happens, and it leads to several impacts down the line. Parents misunderstanding a child’s intent. Love not being able to blossom. A bond forging deeper than expected. Brothers learning to care about one another. At times, I felt suspense and paranormal creeping into the book. At others, I felt the romance and life experience of a narrator whom I wanted to know even better. Across the entire tale, Jan weaves immense detail into his story such that you can almost experience all five senses. At times, there was more detail that I wanted, but ultimately, it created the perfect setting for 1970s America… it was necessary to situate us as readers in a world that is nearly fifty years old.
Jan is a great storyteller. Though this is not a single tale that unfolds as a mystery or a coming-of-age story… it’s more a chronicle of a life that suffered a lot and learned more than one normally does in such a short period. From NYC as a newbie to falling in love at a later age in life… to recalling someone you lost… and taking comfort in sheltering an animal that needed a new home, Jan sets a tone and a mood that you quickly become accustomed to. I enjoy his writing style and look forward to more from him.
January River is a coming of age story that focuses on Ethan and Will McCoy. They are from a small town in Nebraska that is picturesque but not without its own share of tragedies. Ethan and Will are thick as thieves and have a few friends that do what young men do, have adventures and try to avoid too much trouble. As we watch them grow up, they leave the town and end up in New York City. The story at this point really focuses on Ethan and his life, meeting his wife, his career, and watching him mature in life despite some issues that hold him back.
Ethan has many facets to his character and he holds guilt close to his heart when he should be moving past events that are dragging him down. It takes the whole story for him to do that, but it is a journey he has to take to reach that conclusion. Thankfully, he has the love of his wife and his dog, River. He has his family too, especially his brother, but there are others that care about him and his well being.
This book spans several decades and it is interesting to see the world change around Ethan. It was a simpler time then and I think that binds the story together and will take the reader back in time and remember what life was like before technology.
There are a few passages I would like to share with you from the book. These are poignant and show the depth of the thought process of the author and his direction for the story.
“Life sometimes goes astray, into unusual streams, and then you must swim upstream if you don’t want to be dragged down the stream and fall over the waterfall.”
“He also knew he wasn’t ready for that yet, that he didn’t have courage. So he agreed to pay the price for it. The price of fear.”
“It is hard when we lose someone we loved. Very hard. We’ll all leave one day. Someone sooner, the other one later. but the end comes to all of us whether or not we like it.”
I enjoyed reading this book and watching the characters become more complex as they aged and coming to terms with events in their past. It doesn’t hurt that there are a couple of dogs in the book that help facilitate the story as they become a focal point for more than just the name of the river in their town, but for a location that has fond and tragic memories. The story has a variety of characters, both good and bad, that make this book complete. The story will also hit on a variety of emotions at various points and I found myself empathizing with different characters at different points.
This is a book worth reading and we give it 4 1/2 paws.
I read this book on a recommendation, and I’m really glad I did. I really love the cover of this book as I love animals, especially dogs. The contents are another story which threw me for a loop as I felt myself pulled into this very immersive story within a few pages, drawing out some emotions I didn’t expect alongside the MC on his journey of healing. Our book group all enjoyed this read and the discussion that followed.
Life, death, and the pursuit of happiness
Award-winning author Bernard Jan uses a style as smooth as the January River and captures life at its fullest and also at its lowest. Realistic characters, great settings, and heart-wrenching moments captivate the reader throughout this fantastic tale.
Set in the 1970s, this story brings to light the darker parts of life and the strength it takes to carry on. Forced to deal with a harsh reality, Ethan grows up at the tender age of 14. His innocence and childhood whisked away with his friend, Derrick, and he loses everything outside of family and home. Where there used to be dreams and youth, now there is only pain, guilt, and nightmares. Will he overcome his suffering? His brother, Will, and his dog, River, are what keep him moving forward. What happens if one, or both are gone? You must read this outstanding story for yourself to find out!
The writer of this story is very adept at drawing the reader into the scene and holding them there. I, for one, will seek more works by this author. Bravo!
This was my first book by Bernard Jan and it will not be my last. There is nothing like reading a book with an animal involved in it for me. A coming of age story that focuses on Ethan and Will, the joys and tribulations they endure growing up in a small town in Nebraska. I was impressed with the way Bernard portrayed the relationship between Ethan and his dog, River. This was an emotional roller coaster for me, one that I am happy I rode. A heartwarming story I thoroughly enjoyed. Jan is a masterful storyteller for sure.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Mr. Jan in exchange for an honest review.