
The River
Craig A. Smith(Author)
Into Books (Publisher)
Published on 20. March 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-7385149-3-9 (ISBN)
Description
The River is a life-spanning epic novel about death and new beginnings. There's a saying, beloved of Scottish grannies: "Whit's fur ye will no' go by ye". Seemingly embracing this maxim, Lachlan McCormack lives his life as aimless as a piece of driftwood, but somehow gets to where he always wanted to be - where the river meets the sea.
The novel is a love story, both to his childhood sweetheart, and to Scotland, and follows Lachlan's journey through seven decades of the nation's political, sporting and cultural history (and disappointments). Along the way, it appears that only death has the power to propel him onward, and the novel revisits the seven significant deaths that have shaped him and mapped his journey. It explores the cyclical nature of life, love, happiness, and Scotland's ongoing struggle with its place in the world.
The novel is a love story, both to his childhood sweetheart, and to Scotland, and follows Lachlan's journey through seven decades of the nation's political, sporting and cultural history (and disappointments). Along the way, it appears that only death has the power to propel him onward, and the novel revisits the seven significant deaths that have shaped him and mapped his journey. It explores the cyclical nature of life, love, happiness, and Scotland's ongoing struggle with its place in the world.
Reviews / Votes
'The River is a beautiful and poignant examination of one man's life aswell as a cinematic vision of a country's history. Profound and
heartfelt in equal measure.' - Doug Johnstone, Crime Writer
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Into Creative
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
378 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-7385149-3-9 (9781738514939)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Craig Smith lives on the edge (of Edinburgh) with his wife and children. In a former life he was a musician with a couple of NME Singles of the Week to his name. In this life, his spare bass gathers dust in a corner while his Fender Precision left to begin a new life in Marseilles. His debut novel The Mile (Pilrig Press) was published to much acclaim in 2013. An alumni of the Faber Academy, he continues to write about Scotland, Scottishness, and Scots, and hopes one day he might live in a normal country. Preferably Scotland.