Saints at the River

 Saints at the River by Ron Rash is a novel that presents a morally ambiguous question. A vacationing girl is swept downriver and tumbles over a waterfall, drowning in the hydraulic behind the cascade. Unable to retrieve her body, her grieving family petitions to temporarily dam the river, an illegal operation as it has been given Wild and Scenic status. This proves controversial, and well-meaning people settle on both sides of the debate (a Christian burial vs. an untouched river). The conclusion is dramatic and tragic. Rash is a good writer and this is an absorbing, complex, and weighty narrative. While the dialogue is weak at times--too utilitarian, too expositive--the characterization is haunting and affecting, and I found myself pondering the events long after finishing the book.