Cheryl Grey Bostrom: Q&A with the Author of “What the River Keeps”
Tyndale: What inspired you to write a story set on NW Washington’s Elwha River?
Cheryl Grey Bostrom: For five generations, my Port Angeles family lived within a ten-mile radius of the Elwha Valley, and my grandparents roamed its pristine ecosystem with me in tow. Having loved the Elwha since childhood and eager to plant my imagination there for the course of a story, I was delighted when protagonist Hildy came to mind. Trapped by, then freed from a generational stronghold of deception, the young biologist’s inner history parallels the dammed-up river’s. In every way, the setting was an elegant fit.
Throughout the story, Hildy dismantles lies she’s believed since childhood. How does the narrative encourage readers to do the same?
Though professionally successful, Hildy’s inner world is in shambles, leaving her fearful, isolated, and questioning her sanity. Her path to personal growth veers off-track sometimes, and her steps forward are small. But as she allows herself to enter honest, loving relationships, physical and spiritual truths come to light, and she begins to heal. The fact that her faltering, but persistent, explorations dismantle her inner strongholds can encourage readers to examine their own barriers to wholeness—and to tear them down.
Many young writers struggle to create multi-dimensional characters. What advice would you offer to those aspiring to write compelling, complex personalities?
I was riding a NYC subway when my companion cautioned me not to make eye contact. Toughest thing ever, since on the days I’m with people, I’m observing,connecting, listening, and sniffing for emotions, motives, and nuanced behaviors in those around me. Always, I’m asking myself (or those I’m watching, when doing so isn’t flat-out weird) “why would they choose/do/say that?” It’s those whys infused into stories that make characters interesting.
How has your faith shaped your writing—or vice versa?
Carved into the lintel above psychologist Carl Jung’s door was a Latin inscription that, translated, read “Bidden or unbidden, God is present.” As a Christ-follower who seeks to tune herself to God’s handiwork and presence in both my inner and outer reality, I couldn’t agree more. Though my characters may or may not believe as I do, eternal truths that govern the world shape my settings, character conflicts, and outcomes, and . . . I hope . . . cause readers of any persuasion to question and consider. Conversely, as I grapple with those truths in my writing, my own faith expands.
The natural world plays an enormous role in this and your previous two titles. Why the emphasis on nature?
The subtitle of my first non-fiction book—Watching Nature, Seeing Life—captures my belief that the natural world connects us to God’s design for life in astonishing, beautiful ways. Too, nature can be a portal to understanding the Creator’s character, and to intimacy with him. As I weave the creation into my stories, I hope my readers will be compelled by awe to ponder all that.
As we evolve with life’s seasons, our writing genres may change too. Has that been true for you?
Absolutely! As a child and into my breakneck twenties, I wrote poetry in brief, vivid bursts of life discovery. When marriage, two children, and a farm full of animals shifted my goals to home-making and loving well, short- and long-form non-fiction emerged: devotional and human-interest stuff. Practical in those years and beyond, when I worked outside our home, I wrote inside the lines, and didn’t experiment with words much. But then our kids left home. Collisions of longing and play returned me to poetry, until, with time’s new roominess, a lifetime of stories, and fresh courage, I began writing fiction.
Your novels have won more than two dozen awards in both the general and Christian markets. To what do you attribute that favor? What sets your books apart?
Hm. I’ll tap reviewers for this one. I’m beyond grateful when they say the plots are “captivating” and “layered,” the writing “unique” and “lyrical,” and the characters “unforgettable” and “endearing.” Readers like getting lost in the wondrous Pacific Northwest as they immerse themselves in the psychology and mystery of human behavior.
I’d guess that award givers might say their warm reception to the books comes from their emotional connection with the characters, or my writing style, immersive settings, and themes that go deep. But I attribute their favor to my Maker’s kindness in helping me write. And to my revisions. Miles and miles of revisions.
“What the River Keeps” is currently available at major bookstores and online.
A special thanks to Cheryl Grey Bostrom and Tyndale House Publishers for the images and interview.
