I really enjoy Wally Lamb and I was excited that he had a new one after so long. The River is Waiting has a tough premise and made it challenging to read at first. “Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?” (Amazon) While I was a little stuck in the middle and it slogged a bit, the book picked up a lot toward the back half and I ended up really enjoying it. Not five-star for the middle, but high praise and a good choice.