Review of Downriver

[Justin Christensen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Downriver" by Ryan McDermott.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Downriver by Ryan McDermott was, in a word, powerful. It wasn’t the longest book I’ve ever read, but after I picked it up I couldn’t put it back down—I finished the whole thing in one sitting, and as I’m writing this I am still processing the emotion of it all. You hear books described as “raw” pretty frequently these days, but I do think that epithet applies to Downriver. It is the best word I can think of to describe the book at this point.

McDermott opens his book with a poem he wrote at a very low point in his life, and that poem sets the tone for the book. Introspective, intimate, honest, raw. It starts at the bottom, by which I mean rock bottom for the author. The events leading up to McDermott’s decision to seek counseling are laid out, and then he dives into a history of his life, his family, and their struggles. The book is peppered with pictures that give it a very intimate feeling, and at no point does it seem like McDermott is attempting to whitewash his history. This is a book that is sometimes painful to read, but the pain is cathartic. It was impossible to read without reflecting on my own life and my own struggles, which, while orders of magnitude smaller than the author’s, are still shaping my life and coloring my thoughts. I’ve never been to therapy, but I imagine it would feel like reading this book. Hard, painful, and incredibly fulfilling. The editing was flawless as well—I honestly would not change a thing about this book.

There is so much more I could say here that I need to force myself to wrap this up. The book has an afterword, which closes with a message that is simple but piercing. “What matters is not the path we’ve taken but whether we find our way to the river crossing home—and still have the courage to venture over it when we get there.” That line hasn’t left my head since I read it. I have (fortunately) never been to war, but with conflict growing all around the globe, it’s something that’s been on my mind a lot lately. Hopefully, the struggles that McDermott and his father both faced are things I will never have to contend with myself, but regardless, I think McDermott’s message of healing, of focusing on the future rather than the past, is powerful. I give this book a resounding five out of five stars. I can’t think of someone who wouldn’t be better off after reading it.

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Downriver
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[Kibet Hillary]

Indeed, appreciating the present and focusing on the future, rather than the past, is a very powerful lesson and I am glad that this is one of the key lessons in the book. The memoir sounds both interesting and enlightening. Thank you for the review, @Justin Christensen.

[Onyemuwa-dave]

I can feel your connection to the book, especially when you describe it as feeling like therapy—hard, painful, yet incredibly fulfilling. The quote about finding "the river crossing home" clearly resonated with you. Thank you for the review.