Book Ramble: Once Upon a River

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield - Goodreads | Powell's | Amazon

Rating: 5/5 stars

Book CW: Suicide mentions, murder, blood, mentions of abuse, kidnapping, racism, non-descriptive sex scenes

Summary: A girl arrives dead in the arms of a gravely injured stranger at The Swan, an ancient inn on the river Thames. Hours later, the girl is breathing. How is it possible? And, equally pressing--to whom does this mute girl belong?

Combining historical fiction, folklore, magical realism, mystery, and a large cast of lifelike characters, Once Upon a River is a beautiful read, as sweepingly stunning as water itself.

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Having never read one of Setterfield’s books, I was pleasantly surprised by how simply beautiful this book was. I picked it up on a Costco run largely because I lose all self control when it comes down to anything with water metaphors or water characterization, and the gorgeous deckle edges on this edition sold me completely. I'm a simple woman: deckle edges = into the shopping cart.

Beautiful is the summarizing word for this book: it has delightful yet clear prose, a whimsical cast, and a gripping plot to bring them all together. The story mimics the river of its backdrop: it slopes and curves, has rapids and periods of luxurious dwindling, yet still comes together masterfully. Time and time again I thought the story was at a perfect point to wrap up and was panicked that the two hundred (or a hundred, or sixty) pages would be an eternal epilogue--but there was always more to the story. It wasn’t a surprising book (although I did gasp a few times!) but there are so many characters whose stories tangled in each other, that there’s always more to tell or more to unearth, and all of it is worth knowing.

I adored the characters in this book. Setterfield gives them little details and treats them kindly, giving them all a lifelike complexion. The exception to this was Victor Nash (and arguably Robin, but listen--I have bad taste and loved Robin), who was surprisingly rather one-dimensional. This entire cast has a special place in my heart. They so beautifully encompass community, with its support and hilariously untrue rumors and fair share of drunkards, and its communal yearning, especially in securing safety for the girl at the center of this book--known by different parties as Amelia, Alice, or Ann.

And, oh, my, the yearning. It is everywhere in this book, and I loved it: the yearning a parent has to protect and provide for their child; the yearning people have for each other; for freedom; for knowledge; the very Thames itself yearning to stretch overground. Have I mentioned that this book is beautiful in every way? Listen: I have weaknesses, and this book knew all of them, especially yearning and parenthood. Even the central legend that Setterfield creates and builds off of throughout the story, about Quietly the ferryman--evidently inspired by the myth of Orpheus--is about yearning and desperation and protection.

Setterfield’s style of prose, while not my personal favorite style, suited this book and its folklore-tones perfectly. I breezed through this book yet never once felt rushed. This book truly is a journey itself. In Setterfield’s notes, she mentioned that she often walked along the Thames while working on this book, and it shows--the story is saturated in the Thames to the point that it’s characterized, yet the narration makes it feel like walking with an old friend along its shores.

I'm love-blind with this book, so it's difficult to criticize, but there were some pitfalls. For instance, the beginning of this is so sweeping, that shortly after--when more of the characters are being introduced and certain something is going to happen--I found dull and dragging. I also think that while Setterfield did a good job of portraying some of the social attitudes at the time, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who was highly sensitive about racial portrayal, abuse, or expecting any serious social commentary about historical attitudes.

This book is not, by any means, a completely light-hearted and joyful read--but after sitting with it I came away with this odd sensation of serenity (and has a happy ending!). For anyone who wants a genuinely enjoyable, breath-taking read, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.