I was fortunate enough to pick up a copy of This Bright River two weeks ago at Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago, and I've finished it just in time to write my very first Goodreads review on the eve of it's official release.

I really can't say enough about this book. About 20 pages in there is a reference to King's Quest, a series of adventure games I spent a TON of time with as a kid. And later there is a reference to my father's hometown. So, I was more or less won over then and there.

But what really makes this book a joy to read is the sense that you are in the hands of someone who knows what the hell he's doing. Somerville layers one mystery on top of another in this book, and in the hands of a lesser writer, the unraveling of those mysteries would be too messy, or perhaps too clean. But This Bright River seems to unfold with just the right amount of resistance. It reminds me of any puzzle well-made, challenging without being frustrating, as much of a delight to tinker with and consider its design as it is to finally discover the solution.

On top of that, the character work is some of the best I've read in some time. I realized at one point that I felt more invested in the outcome of Ben and Lauren's relationship than I was in many of my own friends' relationships. I'll let them figure out whose.

This Bright River is in turns hilarious, heartbreaking, thrilling, and downright frightening. I'm likely to irritate my friends with my badgering them to read it.