The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

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The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Contemporary fiction

The River Is Waiting

by Wally Lamb

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Quick Take

This gut-punch of a novel follows a man to prison after his careless mistake causes an unimaginable tragedy.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Emotional

    Emotional

  • Illustrated icon, Heavy_Read

    Heavy read

  • Illustrated icon, Family_Drama

    Family drama

  • Illustrated icon, Marriage_Issues

    Marriage issues

Synopsis

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 apart his family. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he witnesses frightful acts of brutality. But he also experiences small acts of kindness and kinship. Buoyed by those 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 those he loves ever forgive his crimes?

Content warning

This book contains scenes depicting sexual assault and the death of a child and mentions of suicide.
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Contemporary fiction
View all
Wild Dark Shore
The Last Love Note
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
The Wedding People
Home of the American Circus
A Family Matter
Penitence
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits
The Summer We Ran
The Bright Years
The Leftover Woman
My Friends
The River Is Waiting
We Could Be Rats
The Same Bright Stars
The Three Lives of Cate Kay
Interesting Facts about Space
What Happened to the McCrays?
The Villain Edit
Bye, Baby
Swan Song
The Days I Loved You Most
How to Read a Book
The Connellys of County Down
Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life
A Summer Affair
Adelaide
I Might Be in Trouble
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Evil Eye
Maame
Advika and the Hollywood Wives
Once There Were Wolves
We Are the Brennans
Olga Dies Dreaming
If Only I Could Tell You
How Lucky
My Dark Vanessa
Nine Perfect Strangers
Honey Girl
One Italian Summer
Eight Hundred Grapes
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
The Five-Star Weekend
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
The Nest
Rich and Pretty
Britt-Marie Was Here
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Startup
The Identicals
The Dinner List
Goodbye, Paris
Winter in Paradise
A Woman Is No Man
Queenie
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Beyond the Point
What Happens in Paradise
Nothing to See Here
When We Were Vikings
Anxious People
A Good Neighborhood
Big Summer
The Last Story of Mina Lee
Troubles in Paradise
White Ivy
This Close to Okay
The Removed
The Kindest Lie
Good Company
Impostor Syndrome
The Other Black Girl
Apples Never Fall
A Quiet Life
We Are the Light
The Fortunes of Jaded Women
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