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This River Awakens
This River Awakens
Jan 8, 2026 2:28 AM

Author:Steven Erikson

This River Awakens

A time to escape

Twelve-year-old Owen Brand and his family move to Middlecross, a riverside town in rural Canada, hoping to leave poverty and unhappiness behind.

A time for innocence

Owen meets three local boys, and they soon form an inseparable band. Over the summer holidays they create their own world, a place apart from the adults who watch over them. Owen also grows close to Jennifer, a fascinating but deeply troubled girl.

And a time to grow up

Then the gang stumble across a body in the river – a discovery with unimaginable consequences for them and the town, from which there is no going back.

Reviews

Wonderfully and intimately evoked...a writer of real imaginative force and breadth.

—— Paul Binding , THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

Startlingly real...it is remarkable for a first novel.

—— Margaret Forster

An excellent novel...a terrific new talent.

—— GLOBE AND MAIL

A tremendously affecting novel, skillfully and arrestingly written, and one that packs a big emotional punch

—— Sunday Times

Both sinister and sharply intriguing, with a completely convincing eleven-year-old narrator caught in fundamentalism, school persecution and the edge of the miraculous

—— A.S. Byatt , Guardian, Books of the Year

Bursting with tension and tenderness, this novel is a small miracle in itself

—— Helen Brown , Daily Mail

Grace McCleen's writing is deep, fantastical and powerful... She has been able to observe a fascinating world with generosity, wonder and spirit. A wonderful gem of a debut

—— Viv Groskop , Independent on Sunday

Affecting and brilliantly written…a truly awe-inspiring debut

—— Stylist

Surprising, affecting, thoughtful and complex, McCleen's novel grows in power the more time you spend with it

—— Nicola Barr , Observer

Exquisitely written and imagined

—— Woman & Home

A stand-out debut from a new talent ... Inventive and unforgettable

—— Good Housekeeping

An incredibly emotional read

—— Grazia

A thrilling page-turner

—— Alexander Larman , Spectator

This is a novel that strikes both horror and joy in the reader, the first-person narration deftly articulating Judith's escalating confusion and fear ... A talent to watch

—— Lucy Scholes , The Sunday Times

A touching, delicate book, it's hitting the shelves with high hopes...On March 1, head out and buy Grace McCleen's book

—— Louis Wise , Sunday Times

A distinctive debut that pulls off the use of a child narrator in delightful style

—— We Love This Book

Touching and funny… a compelling and wholly original debut.

—— Marie Claire

Shimmers with little miracles.

—— Peggy Hughes , Scotland on Sunday

This is a promisingly bold book and McCleen is a talent to watch

—— Lucy Scholes , Sunday Times

A gripping and mesmerizing debut of an unforgettable ten-year-old heroine and her battle with good and evil… A harrowing and powerful story about isolation and belonging

—— My Weekly

An original new voice... Haunting and absorbing, this is a joy to read

—— Jackie Carrier , Suffolk Free Press
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