A review by melreadsmaybe
Riverkeep by Martin Stewart

5.0

"Think, my boy, think of these people with whom you connected. We all want to help one another, yes? Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness--not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. The way of life can be free and beautiful, Tillinghast, and you have the love of humanity in your heart. Don't turn your back on other people, my son. Only the unloved hate; you have always been loved in this house and you have found love now for yourself in the world. It is the rarest of treasures, that moment when people, strangers, reach out to one another--and worth fighting for. Stay tonight, won't you, and then be gone again, living your life and finding love!"


I tried to read this back when it came out and had a hard time with the written dialect, but listening to the audiobook was an absolutely heart-shaking experience. James Cosmo brings these characters to life so vividly, and Stewart's prose is so intricately crafted. There were several moments where I had to pause to catch my breath and wipe away tears, which I never expected (but should have) in a supernatural horror book.