A Different River

Miriam has lost her husband in tragic circumstances. Caught between caring for her grandchildren and her own parents she's beginning to branch out into a new kind of life, pushing herself out of her comfort zone, when a blast from the past comes knocking. But in forty years a lot of things change and her first love isn't exactly who she remembered... There is love and passion still, but something doesn't feel quite right.

Review :
Jo Veritys novels are very truthful about the small secrets, deceptions and negotiations of ordinary life, whether she is writing about teenagers, young couples or women in their sixties who are in danger of becoming invisible. Her latest novel, A Different River, shows her sure and humane touch, and no-one does families better. The central character, Miriam, is completely convincing and engaging. The conflicting emotions of love, frustration and concern in a middle-aged daughter dealing with ageing parents are here compounded by their past interference in her love life. Miriams relationship with her own daughter, son-in-law and their children is delightfully observed but, for all its happiness, it is in danger of taking over her life. Almost by chance, she is offered a challenging job which helps her to privately reassert her identity. The circumstances of her widowhood led her to lose all faith in her past marriage, and the sudden return of her first sweetheart, Paul, seems a heaven-sent second chance of happiness. However, as the title hints, you cannot step twice into the same river for it is not the same river and you are not the same person. From at least one flashback it is suggested that Pauls problem is that he is the same, while Miriam has learnt and grown. While the novel is centred on Miriams experiences, the supporting characters, like her friends Frankie and Hazel and the two artists, are lively and interesting in their own right. The relationship between Frankie wild, impulsive and rebellious and Miriams narrow and normally intolerant parents is a surprise and an insight into characters who might have been flat or stereotyped. One of the themes of the book is the importance of different kinds of love, not just the romantic. The depiction of Miriams love for and relationship with her grandchildren is particularly good and, in a way, it helps her to reclaim the lost sympathy with her dead husband whom she rejects so dramatically at the books opening. The structure of the novel is not as straightforward as it first appears; within the chronological account there are sections of flashback to Miriams youth, and it is significant when Verity chooses to place these. It is also a bold stroke to leap forward to the last section. The author trusts that, by then, we know Miriam well enough to know how she got there. There is one mystery threaded through the book which Verity chooses never to solve. She acknowledges that life, especially family life, is not tidy, and that people, even people you love, cannot be entirely known and one should not expect them to be. Caroline Clark It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.