Book Review: The River Runs South - Audry Ingram

 

“The River Runs South” is a debut novel by Audrey Ingram. I would say that this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting - but I wasn’t sure quite what to expect either. This book follows Camille, a Washington DC lawyer, who is married to Ben and they have a six-year-old child, Willa. Ben dies suddenly and a number of months later Camille suffers a panic attack, resulting in her deciding to take a break from her life in Washington DC and return to her family home in Alabama. While in Alabama, Camille rediscovers the joys of her small town - along with some of the pitfalls of living in a small town. Willa enjoys time spent with both her grandparents and her mom - and the family does “adventures” together, adding to Willa’s joy of Alabama. Camille discovers her father is being sued by someone thanks to a partnership in a project. This is where a love triangle beings, with her father’s lawyer and the person suing her father both become interested in Camille. In some ways this book was about “simple joys” - rediscovering that sometimes while you can’t return home you can share what is familiar and comfortable from home with someone and experience it through their eyes. Ms. Ingram did a fantastic job describing the waterways and area of Alabama. I don’t know what six year olds Ms. Ingram possibly hangs out with, but Willa’s word choice sounded like a much older child. Ms. Ingram did her research into ecological preservation and while sometimes a bit too heavy handed for my taste, it did lead into some interesting scenes, especially with the lawyers. Overall, I’d say you may read this as a beach read or you may read it with a bit more depth - the choice is yours. I did find it a bit predictable, but for the most part that wasn’t deterring. Four stars out of five.