Broken River: A Novel

Intelligent, literary psychological thriller. Explores the complexity of consequences in human behavior--how the decisions we make can impact us and the world of our loved ones, neighbors, acquaintances, even strangers. Philosophical as well as psychological insights. Reads like a modern Greek play (but a lot easier to read than a Greek play), involving the "Observer" who at times seems to be a separate entity, yet reflects that part of us that can objectively discern where our actions might take us. That part of us--the "Observer"--seems to be inextricably mixed with our "subjective" self, the one that acts out our thoughts and feelings often without regard to consequences. All of this heady stuff integrated into a gripping plot with well-developed characters. There was no way I could put it down--I had to know where the human behaviors and decision-making would lead the characters.

I always read NY Times Reviews, and Guardian reviews also, of these books that appear in the the "Editor's Choice" in Saturday Morning's NYT, and that's how I select a book to read. I usually agree with the reviews, but this book did not appeal to me--too dark and greasy. The observer, which I recognized as a deliberate omniscient device was increasingly irritating and psycho-babbling, interfering with the action of the very well defined characters' actions. I wanted the Observer to just shut up and let the story get on with itself.

The compelling story, built around dysfunctional but convincing characters, is compromised by the superfluous construct of the Observer. The book would have been much better without this character and its semi-philosophical ramblings. Where is an editor when you need one?

Broken River takes readers on an extended journey to the underbelly of humanity. It is testimony to Robert Lennon's writing skills that I was able to stick with his story line even as I shuddered at the despicable characters who drive the events of the book. Broken River is not a "who done it"; rather it is a book that left me asking again and again "why would they do this?"

I didn't really enjoy this fractured novel. It had some interesting ideas and, at times, even some pleasing writing , but it is far too clever for its own good. the literary conceit of the "Observer" is really an affectation that is just plain annoying. The "Observer" adds nothing that an omniscient narration would not have achieved much more smoothly and eloquently. "Bobbing" indeed. How distracting and trivial is that piece of information?

A terrific and creepy read, often hilarious and occasionally visceral and violent, like all of Lennon's books. The characters are beautifully and realistically drawn. The Observer is a neat construct - early on, I assumed that this was a stand-in for the reader, but as the novel progressed it seemed as if the Observer acted more like the author, in his ability to direct attention to action, to read the characters' thoughts, and to pursue alternate scenarios.

I kept on reading thinking that something was going to make sense at some point..... never happened. All these lovely characters developed for us and no idea why. There was some really good story-telling but nothing was ever resolved. The weird sic-fi "observer" was superfluous and distracting.

Reading club selection that I had on my own list. I wanted to love it but had some of problems with the observer. It was very distracting and an unwelcome presence as it kept popping up just as a character became interesting.

I'm becoming a fan of this American author, who also happens to be an associate professor and director of the Creative Writing Program at Cornell University, New York. His other talents include being a musician and composer, with several full-length CD's to his name.What I particular like about his books is that I'm not always sure where his stories are going to take me. He doesn't necessarily follow a conventional path with his tales - so there's always an element of surprise. In Broken River, we are introduced to a rather strange world - the likes of which one would expect to find in a Coen Brothers film. This is a literary thriller but is also an examination of family, lies and secrets.The author's use of an omnipresent observer is a quirky device by which the reader is able to 'view' the proceedings - as if the characters are being filmed from differing angles - close-up, from afar, from above etc. The inclusion of this 'observer' made me think of the grim reaper's narration throughout that marvellous novel, The Book Thief.In the opening chapter we witness a man and a woman fleeing from their rural home. It is late at night and they appear to scared out of their wits. What shortly follows is both intense and shocking. Along the way we have people making decisions, which sometimes lead to catastrophic consequences. At times, reading this was like watching a car crash, when everything is appearing to move in slow-motion but you just know those wheels skidding on the ice are going to lead the vehicle into an almighty metal-crunching collision.This is a complex, creepy crime thriller, but it is also about dysfunctional families and the way adult behaviour affects the young people in their care. If anything, Broken River momentarily loses its way towards the latter part of the book but the author soon gets everything back on track and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion. So, for me, this is a 9/10 novel - equating to 5x Amazon stars.

I did not find this a riveting thriller. I think the action could be condensed into one chapter! Most of the book was taken up with peoples' thought processes, or supposed thoughts, & the inarticulate ramblings of the Observer, whose role in this story remains, to me, inexplicable, and seems to me to be a self-conscious attempt at originality. There are many instances of adding additional information in brackets, as though the author suddenly thought of something that had been missed out, but couldn't be bothered to rewrite it into the the fabric of the story. However, I did find this an interesting read, but won't be looking for more by this author.

I was totally bored by this. Did not enjoy it at all. Was expecting much more after reading some of the reviews. Persevered with it as I kept expecting it to get better. Give it a miss!

I read this book right to the end thinking it will start to improve but it ,sadly,did not. What is the 'observer' all about. The author tried to be too smart and it just turned into a lot of mumbo jumbo . Sad.

prompt deliver. Great price and a really exciting book.