Old Man Rivers

by Nancy Veldman

Life has a way of taking a wicked turn and we are left to flounder, wondering what in the world caused it. Geoffrey Rivers was having a normal day on the railroad when a phone call snatched normal out of his life. His whole world, including the love of his life, was taken from him in what seemed like a watchmaker's second in time. Flowing with suspense and romance, Rivers relates his story to us in a raspy shaky voice of a man who is turning one hundred years old, looking back on what felt like an atomic bomb going off in his oh-so-normal world. His quiet boring life was doing just fine until murder walked through the door as an uninvited guest. Stepping into his shoes, you feel the incredible strength of a man who was left to sort out a crime with a lawyer who dared to drive a truck through a lie, and two investigators who had the gift of snatching information right out of thin air. As the dust comes off the pages of his life, you see a man who was strong become broken and vulnerable. War was declared and Rivers had to suit up or be shot down. Oddly, it was the gun that became the albatross around his neck. But romance has a way of sneaking in when we least expect it. And nothing brings life back into a wrinkled suit better than a beautiful woman. This is no ordinary story, and Rivers is no ordinary man. And his honesty and realness will flat out make you believe in humanity again.

546 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2013

Reviews

[York · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bello, breve y entrañable. Entre las líneas de este aparentemente inofensivo relato hay toneladas de guiños a la vida del propio Thomas Wolfe, su editor Maxwell Perkins, Robert Bridges y hasta Ernest Hemingway.

Hay muchas alusiones al mundillo editorial de ese momento. Pero lo más bonito es encontrar el germen de muchos escritores que llegarían décadas después.

Admiro por ejemplo hasta qué grado llega la extensión de su ficción elaborando listas inmensas de momentos memorables en la vida de alguien que nunca existió. Al más puro estilo de David Foster Wallace.

Pero aquí también hay muchos guiños a la vida del propio Perkins y hasta se siente como una carta de amor fraternal a ratos.

Lo más reprochable del texto en todo caso es que para disfrutarlo en plenitud exige conocer la vida personal del autor, sus amigos más cercanos y la gente a la que nunca soportó.

[El Viejo Mochales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Wolfe no defrauda. Y, aunque se trate de una obra menor del autor (también por sus apenas 78 páginas), resulta sumamente placentera su lectura.