It's the relationship between these two young men that is the most interesting to me. Jack has always been harder, more cynical, expecting the worst and it's now that he shocks Wynn with his choices and his actions. Wynn is the gentle giant who seems true to his ways even in emergencies. This becomes a trip of trying to survive fire, starvation, and the violence of man and nature. Do they stop their fast trip downriver to warn them, too? To top things off, they hear the voices of a man and woman fighting in this remote wilderness. And they've come across some weird, rude, crude, drunk men who don't appreciate their warning of a fire. They didn't bring a satellite phone or any other way to reach out for help, they even left out little things that weren't important before but are much needed in such a rush for safety. Their minimalist, old school choices when they started the trip look dangerous now. Early frost was already going to make them consider picking up their pace but when they become aware of a huge wildfire coming their way, they need to make some serious decisions. They know each other so well and the most important thing is that they trust the other completely.īut now their leisurely trip has changed. Their interests are what brought them together, love of fishing, hiking, camping, canoeing, and reading. The guys are different in many ways, size, background, ways of seeing life, ways of approaching situations, but those differences seem to work. They are taking a semester off college so they can take their time enjoying the Canadian wilderness. Jack and Wynn met their first days of college and have been best friends and constant companions since then. The River by Peter Heller, Mark Deakins (Narrator) Is this the man they heard? And, if he is, where is the woman? But: The next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone.

When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. The story of two college friends on a wilderness canoe trip-of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence

The river book peter heller