David James Duncan
David James Duncan (born 1952) at Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library,
...
. While it starts off as a fishing story, ''The River Why'' turns into the story of a young person struggling to come to grips with the modern world.
Plot summary
A coming-of-age story narrated by Gus Orviston, a high school graduate and the oldest son in a fishing-crazed family. Frustrated with life in Portland, Oregon, and the constant bickering of his bait fishing mother (Ma) and tweed-wearing,
fly-fishing
Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is ins ...
father () over the proper way to
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
, Gus moves to a small cabin in the foothills of the
Oregon Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic region, in the United States, U.S. state of Or ...
. Once there he begins to follow an "ideal schedule" that has him doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and fishing. In the course of doing nothing but what he loves to do, he begins to notice the scars that humanity has inflicted on the river and forests he loves. Gus also goes through the traumatic event when he is fishing and finds and must transport a dead fisherman to shore, and through this experience he is able to realize how wrong his "ideal schedule" really is. As he wrestles with what to do, he begins to relate with the people in his neighborhood. He starts to regain his passion for life through his intense passion of the outdoors and fishing, but also through human contact. He also meets his new friend, though while rather eccentric, is also a brilliant thinker, helping Gus see the meaning in his life. Gus continues to grow and mature, mirroring the path to adulthood many experience, until he meets a young fisherwoman, Eddy. Although their relationship is unique, it is also a very true form of love that not only helps Gus to continue to grow into a man, but also teaches him to truly appreciate every aspect of his life. Gus is put to the test when Eddy hooks him a salmon, making him fight it all night up the river. Gus ultimately chooses her and the new life he has started to create for himself by releasing the fish when he finally catches it, mirroring man's quest for success, to only discover that true success is the happiness experienced by the abandonment of preconceived notions of success that are not applicable anymore to a growing life, entering into adulthood. The book ends with Gus completely growing up by confronting his parents with Eddy and forgiving them.
Awards
Voted 35th best novel in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' list of The 20th Century's 100 Best Books of the American West.
20th anniversary edition
In 2002, Sierra Club Books released a 20th Anniversary Edition that includes a new afterword by the author describing
Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...
's
Buddenbrooks
''Buddenbrooks'' () is a 1901 novel by Thomas Mann, chronicling the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family over the course of four generations, incidentally portraying the manner of life and mores of the Hanseatic bourgeoisie in th ...
influence on him at the age of 16 and how this led him to a life of literature. Duncan also uses the afterword to describe the process that led to the writing of ''The River Why'', and the difficulty finding a publisher. Throughout the piece Duncan speaks of political, religious, and environmental ideas that are the basis of ''The River Why'', ''
The Brothers K
''The Brothers K'' is a 1992 novel by David James Duncan, an author, fisherman, and environmental advocate from the Pacific Northwest. It builds on the sporting and spiritual themes of '' The River Why'', Duncan's first book, but on a much larg ...
My Story As Told By Water
My or MY may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station
* Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe
* ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak
* ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon
Business
* Marke ...
Zach Gilford
Zachary Michael Gilford (born January 14, 1982) is an American actor, best known for his role as Matt Saracen on the NBC sports drama series '' Friday Night Lights''. In 2021, he starred in the Netflix horror limited series '' Midnight Mass''. ...
,
William Hurt
William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. For his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award for B ...
and
Amber Heard
Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. She had her first leading role in the horror film '' All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' (2006), and went on to star in films such as '' The Ward'' (2010), '' Drive Angry'' (2011), and ...