Black River

A story of loss, in so many senses of the word, and the possibility of connection. Wesley, a former corrections officer and former fiddle player, watches his wife die of leukemia, and tries to connect with his stepson, all the while dealing with the trauma of a prison riot and the prospect of parole for the man responsible. Not a spoiler - you can learn this in the first chapter or two. But oh, how it plays out, how Hulse builds each character and the rhythm of small town Montana, gives us such close access to Wesley and others. A stellar, intimate story. Not to be missed.

Black River by debut author S.M. Hulse was an outstanding read. An American tragedy that draws the reader in with it’s detailed rendering of a unique character. Wes Carver is a complicated, driven yet broken man. He is a hard man to understand or get close to, in fact, it appears that only one person ever has broken through the outer shell and that would be his wife, Claire, who has just passed away from cancer. Wes brings her ashes home to Black River, a small town in Montana whose claim to fame is that the state prison is located there.

Wes and Claire once lived in Black River and Wes worked as a correctional officer, but 20 years ago a prison riot changed their lives. Held and tortured for 39 hours by a vicious inmate, Wes’s show more rage, fear and grief are still bottled up inside him. But the prison riot isn’t the only reason why Wes is scarred, he grew up in the shadow of a father who committed suicide and there was an incident with his stepson that caused great damage to the family and saw Claire and Wes move to Spokane. As Wes arrives back on the ranch that was once his home, he learns that the person responsible for his scars, burns and smashed fingers is coming up for parole.

With his silent stoicism and rigid morality Wes Carver is a hard man yet we do see another side, a much gentler man who lost the ability to play his violin and express his inner soul through his music when his fingers were smashed. Black River is both harsh yet delicate in it’s portrayal of one man’s quest for grace and the author hit all the right notes. There is a great deal more to this story than I have described here, but rest assured that Black River is a wonderful story of both rage and redemption. show less

I really want to do this book justice, but there is so much to chew on and mull over and consider, that I know I will still be thinking about it for a long time. I am not usually drawn to novels in which faith plays a central part but this portrayal of one man’s struggle and yearning for faith and the understanding of grace felt incredibly real and authentic to me. Wes Carver is a good man but one who struggles, and as such, he is an incredibly sympathetic character, even as the reader feels some frustration with him. He cares about people but can’t show it in ways that they need; he feels deep pain but his stoic exterior leads people to assume a lack of feeling; and his reticence prevents him from making the human connections that show more could, ultimately, be his salvation. This novel is beautifully written and somber and stark in tone but with enough hope allowed to shine through to ultimately be satisfying and worthwhile.

I haven’t done the book the justice I wanted to, or that it deserves. Some books just strike the right note at the right time for a reader, and this was one such for me. I am so glad I read it and hope that more readers will give it a try. I look forward to more work by S.M. Hulse. show less

The publisher whets our appetite for the story:

When Wes Carver returns to Black River, he carries two things in the cab of his truck: his wife’s ashes and a letter from the prison parole board. The convict who held him hostage during a riot, twenty years ago, is being considered for release.
Wes has been away from Black River ever since the riot. He grew up in this small Montana town, encircled by mountains, and, like his father before him and most of the men there, he made his living as a Corrections Officer. A talented, natural fiddler, he found solace and joy in his music. But during that riot Bobby Williams changed everything for Wes — undermining his faith and taking away his ability to play.

Tutu says:
If ever a book were show more written to bring me out of a reading funk, this one is it. S. M. Hulse, in her debut novel, has given us an anguished and compelling tale of love and regret, condemnation and forgiveness, life and death, acceptance and rejection. She sets the story in the starkness of Montana mountains, leading several reviewers to declare the book to be a "western". The theme however, is much more universal. This story of human tragedy could take place in any small town in any part of the country.

Through an alternating series of flashbacks and current narrations, we follow the life of Wesley Carver, his wife Claire, his step-son Dennis, and assorted friends, co-workers, and relatives. The story of the prison riot and its impact on his life is the center piece. The theme of faith, forgiveness, goodness and evil provides the underpinnings. Watching Wes as he works through his grief over Claire's death, his feelings about the impending parole hearing for the prisoner who held him hostage, his relationship with his estranged step-son, and how he deals with the loss of the musical ability he took such joy in gives the reader a poignant tale of heart-breaking beauty.

The writing is clean, poetic, full of imagery and emotion. The story is short (only 232 pages,) and well-paced, without an extra word, but with the ability to paint scenes that bring us to tears. Even the ending is exceptional.

This is the best book I've read this year. I can't wait to see more by this author. show less

Sometimes a book is so well-written it makes me a little angry. I am very envious of this writer’s style: spare, subtle, atmospheric – but never ambiguous or apathetic. Occasionally I would mutter “goddamnit,” and Matt would ask “No good?” and I’d reply, sadly, “No, it’s great.”

Black River is a bittersweet and sometimes heartbreaking story that is, ultimately, uplifting. In this debut novel of love, loss and grief, it is S. M. Hulse's exploration of faith, forgiveness and redemption that make it such an outstanding and riveting read.

Wes Carver is an ex-corrections officer whose life was forever changed by a prison riot that scarred him both mentally and physically. Now the inmate who kidnapped and tortured him during the riot is up for parole and Wes has two reasons to return to Black River: bury his beloved wife Claire's ashes and speak at Bobby Williams' parole hearing. Also waiting for Wes is his estranged stepson Dennis and the complicated history that resulted in an almost twenty year rift between them. show more Haunted by his losses and regretful for past mistakes, will Wes be able to let go of the pain and anger he has carried for so many years?

Wes views the world in black and white and he has a very rigid definition of right and wrong. From a generation that carries pain and sorrow deep inside, he does not discuss past mistakes or wrong decisions. Wes is very stoic and unable to articulate his emotions. He is a good man, but his career as a corrections officer coupled with his long held beliefs make it virtually impossible for him to judge a man on his own merits. Underneath Wes's pragmatic and unemotional demeanor is a deeply spiritual and immensely talented man whose search for faith is challenged by the loss of his ability to play the fiddle and newly discovered information about Bobby Williams.

Wes and Dennis's reunion is uneasy and fraught with tension. Their unresolved history hovers between them and they step very carefully around one another. Wes is surprised by the changes in Dennis but their past issues sometimes bring glimpses of the boy he used to know to the surface. Wes ignores the opportunities to get to the root of their issues and when he reverts to his old patterns, he destroys what little progress the two men have made in repairing their fractured relationship.

Black River is a poignant novel of healing that is quite compelling. The characters are deeply flawed but sympathetic. Their conflicts are believable and easy to relate to. S. M. Hulse provides a realistic conclusion to the story and while not everything is fully resolved, the overall ending is satisfying and hopeful. All in all, a very impressive debut novel that is incredibly moving and one that I heartily recommend. show less

This has been getting a little Pulitzer buzz, and I can see why. Wes goes home to Black River to bury his wife and to grieve for her. He is a prickly man, not good at showing his emotions. This has made a relationship with his equally difficult stepson nearly impossible.
Wes was a prison guard at the State Penitentiary when a riot broke out in 1992, and he was tortured by a man who broke all his fingers, taking away his one true peace: playing his fiddle. Now this man is up for parole.
Add in a troubled teen with a shining musical talent and this could end up as a smarmy Lifetime movie. But this was nothing like that.
Quiet writing, like Kent Haruf, but not quite- it captured the beauty and danger of Montana's mountains, and of the show more people who live there. Wes is far from perfect, and often unlikable. Actually, every person in this book has flaws. But they all try, and each has at least one thing that makes him/her a better person.
Ultimately, this is about grief. Wes lost his faith when he lost his fiddle, he never really understood his father's death, his wife has passed, and his relationship with his stepson is in shambles. But, one at a time, he tries to come to terms and make what he can better. In his own, gritty, gruff Montana way. Kudos to Ms. Hulse for writing a gritty and gruff, yet tender, book that's no where near the Lifetime or Hallmark channels.
4.5 stars. show less