Books & Java

The Banks of Certain Rivers

by Jon Harrison

Synopsis:

In the lakeside resort town of Port Manitou, Michigan, dedicated teacher and running coach Neil Kazenzakis shoulders responsibilities that would break a lesser man: a tragic accident has left his wife seriously debilitated, he cares for his mother-in-law who suffers from dementia, and he’s raising his teenage son, Chris, on his own. On top of all that, he’s also secretly been seeing Lauren, his mother-in-law’s caregiver.

When Neil breaks up a fight one day after school, he doesn’t give the altercation much thought. He’s got bigger issues on his mind, like the fact that Lauren is ready for a commitment and he has to figure out a way to tell Chris that he’s in a serious relationship with someone other than the boy’s mother. But when an anonymous person uploads a video of the fight to YouTube, the stunning footage suggests Neil assaulted a student. With his job, his family, and his reputation suddenly in jeopardy, Neil must prove his innocence and win back the trust of the entire community—including his son’s.

Jon Harrison’s The Banks of Certain Rivers is a powerful tale of family, loss, and the meaning of love.

My Review:

This is the story of a seemingly perfect union, high-school sweethearts - Wendy and Neil - destined to be together and live happily ever after until an unfortunate accident causes such severe brain damage that Wendy ends up in a vegetative state from which she will never recover. This happens when their son is just a little kid. We fast-forward to current day. Chris - their son - is now a senior in high school. Neil, is a teacher and track coach at the same high school. Wendy is in an extended care facility which his insurance covers. He is balancing fatherhood with caring for the family land left to Wendy and caring for Wendy's mother - a woman who is advanced in age and diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's.  His plate is full and he is otherwise content in spite of all the terrible misfortune his family has suffered through. He is caught in a scuffle in the parking lot of the school where he believes he has broken up a fight between students when he is knocked down by one of the punches.  Neil moves on thinking that he broke up the fight, to find out that one of the students has accused him of assault and has waged an all-out war to have him fired. To add insult to injury, there is a video of what appears to be Neil actually hitting the student, yet he doesn't remember it happening exactly like that.  The video is uploaded to the Internet and goes viral making his case harder to prove. As he is dealing with losing his job, his credibility and his security of keeping Wendy at the extended care facility he is also dealing with moving on with his life as a result of 2 year love affair with Lauren - the nurse hired to care for his mother-in-law.  It is not simply an affair as he is genuinely in love and Lauren is genuinely in love with him. However, he is unable to disclose his relationship in fear of what it will do to his son Chris. 


All of these elements combine to make for an excellent read that from page one is hard to put down.  The characters are well-crafted and the storyline is not predictable nor unrealistic. This story made me think of how resilient people can truly be in the face of tragedy. When faced with situations that you think could end up breaking you, it is the relationships and support of the people that truly love you that pull you together and give you strength.  

Great story, great book, great author. I will definitely be reading more future works by Jon Harrison.