Two Rivers

Harper Montgomery has lived all his life in Two Rivers, Vermont, and he has loved Betsy Parker almost all his life too, since they were twelve. They grew up, courted, and married, but on the day their daughter Shelley was born, Betsy died. That was twelve years ago, and Harper still hasn’t gotten over it.

Complicating matters is a lynching we keep reading about in flashbacks. The man killed had something to do with Betsy’s death, but we don’t find out what until the end. We do know right from the beginning though that Harper and his two best friends Ray and "Brooder" killed a man "with skin the color of blackberries” in the same year Betsy died. This is especially ironic because Harper’s mother was so liberal that she spent show more time in the South helping to register black voters, and also published a newsletter about civil rights.

The chapters go back and forth in time. After we learn about the lynching in the past, we return to the present, and read that a young black pregnant girl named Maggie ends up in Two Rivers subsequent to a train derailment in the town. Harper is helping to rescue the victims, and Maggie seeks him out, begging for a place to stay. Reluctantly, he takes her to his house so she has a place to rest while he figures out how to get her back home. But Maggie refuses to go home - she says she was raped and she is afraid to go back. She offers to do childcare for Shelley and to cook and clean in exchange for being able to stay. Harper gives in, at least for the short term, not realizing the impact that Maggie's arrival will have on all of them.

Discussion: Supposedly this book is about healing and redemption, but I just didn’t see it. Harper is incredibly self-absorbed, and has trouble seeing that there is more to the universe than his own pain and loss. He “pities” his father for his supposed “weakness” vis-a-vis Harper's mother, and yet his father seems to be twice the man Harper is. But Harper never figures that out. Moreover, he claims he “can blame every episode that caused me either embarrassment or shame on [one of his two best friends] Brooder.” Again, he takes no responsibility for anything. Even the lynching turns into Brooder’s fault. (Assigning the fault to Brooder apparently “counts” as “redemption” for that particular egregious act.)

The reader feels like saying: look, I know Betsy was the love of your young life. But it has been twelve years. Get over it! And get over yourself! Your twelve-year-old daughter is more mature than you are! And look at Maggie: what about her pain, and her courage? Will you ever transcend your self-absorption and grow up?

Evaluation: I liked this book, even though the main [living] character was irritating, and the main [dead] character wasn't much better. There are a couple of unsolved mysteries that push the reader on, and one also hopes the protagonist really will achieve “redemption” as promised by the [once again deceptive] blurbs. The writing isn’t bad, but ultimately, I was left feeling dissatisfied with Harper's lack of either self-awareness or atonement, not to mention, the plot in general. Nevertheless, it's an interesting read. show less

I'm not entirely sure what it was about this book that made me bring it home from the library...it's just not the kind of description that would typically draw me in. But wow. Wow.

Two Rivers has quickly become a new favorite. The story is broken into chapters that alternate between telling the story of Harper growing up in love with his neighbor Betsy from an early age, one night that changed everything, and his current life, up to the point where they all come together.
I'm always a sucker for a good twist, and this novel doesn't disappoint. Nothing is quite what you first imagined and each thing you assume to be fact is shattered in the end. There are no lies, just simple truths that lead your mind to believe things which are, in show more fact, false. show less

Harper Montgomery is a man who is driven by grief, guilt and uncertainty. The girl he loved since he was 12 years old, the wife he had for less than a year, died on the day their daughter Shelley was born. Now, more than a decade later, Harper is raising Shelley on his own after finally leaving the welcoming nest of his late wife's, Betsy, aunt and uncle. His work at the Two Rivers, Vermont, train station freight office earns enough money for a small apartment above the local bowling alley. On a quiet fall afternoon the train bound for Montreal derails at the fork of the two rivers plunging several train cars into the cold murky water. Harper rushes to the river to help where he finds a pregnant teenaged black girl among the wreckage show more who pleads with him to help her. The girl, Maggie, says that her mother is dead and she has nowhere to go. Harper takes pity on the child and brings her home for a temporary stay until her family can be contacted. Maggie quickly makes herself at home by cooking, cleaning and befriending Shelley, but she is not forthcoming about her personal situation. As the days pass, Harper becomes convinced that their meeting was not happenstance and that Maggie has a secret agenda.
The story is told in alternating chapters of the present and Harper's past with Betsy. He loved her from the day they met and knew that he wanted her in his life for ever. There is a dark secret in Harper's past that is given to the reader in small snippets throughout the book and that, more than anything, made him willing to take Maggie into his home. The story takes place in the late 1950's through the early 80's and much of it revolves around civil rights and the Vietnam war. This was my era as well and even my part of the country; it is all well founded and familiar. The only reason I did not give the book 5 stars is that there is something that is just a little too coincidental to be believable. Greenwood can really write and I will most definitely read everything else by her that I can find. show less

For most of this novel I found myself enjoying the flash backs much more than the front story. The flashbacks dealt with the narrator falling in love and marrying his childhood sweetheart whereas the front story dealt with the narrator meeting a pregnant 16 year old African American girl and taking her in to his home. It just seemed a bit implausible to me. But as the novel progressed and the flashbacks got closer and closer to the present an interesting plot twist made everything fall into place very nicely.

Ms. Greenwood paints a realistic picture of a man stuck in one place, trying to make sense of the grief and guilt around the death of his wife. I loved the way the story alternated between the love story of Betsy and Harper, and the present day in Harper's life.

Two Rivers by T. Greenwood is a novel about racism, civil rights, forgiveness and redemption. Even though the story switches back and forth between the 1960's and the 1980's, it's easy to follow and flows well between the decades. Ms. Greenwood does a wonderful job of describing the characters, setting and plot.
I found the story to be interesting, intriguing, and emotional. The ending was simply amazing!!
I look forward to reading other novels by T. Greenwood.

A. George

This stunning novel follows a man wrung by guilt and haunted by his past. He takes in a pregnant teenage victim of a train crash and then obsesses about the true nature of her arrival in his life. Yes, she is there for a different reason.

His tortured history includes a revenge murder, madness, suicide, racial violence, and a long-deferred romance. This chilling, complex drama is full of true-life characters. It is a terrible, beautiful ride: you will love it.

I read this book as an advance reader and absolutely begged my store to carry it!