John Bemrose

THE RIVER TWICE, by John Bemrose, is a thoughtful, probing look at war and the profound and lasting damage it can do to the human psyche. The novel looks at one family on the home front of the First World War in a small Canadian town in Ontario. Ted Whitfield, a sensitive former schoolteacher returns home, wounded by shrapnel, but it's his mind and spirit that have sustained the more grievous wounds, as he is severely traumatized by what he has seen and done in the trenches of France and Belgium. At home his young wife, Miriam, and her parents try to understand and be patient with him, but it is his wife's sister, Grace, he turns to most easily in unburdening himself. And Grace harbors her own secrets, but slowly she draws Ted out in talking about what happened "over there." The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of these three characters, and also that of Will, the ten year-old brother of the two women. And although it is largely a psychological drama, there are also some very gruesome and grim scenes from the war, as Ted tells his story piecemeal to Grace during long walks through the bucolic countryside around their town.

The novel is beautifully written, and, although I was reminded of other books like Pat Barker's REGENERATION trilogy and the small classic, A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY, Bemrose's book has a uniqueness all its own. I was hooked from page one. Very very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (meer)

Ann Scott is married to Richard, in an arrangement that often seems to be one of parallel lives rather than a romantic partnership. She is compelled to re-examine her life when her first love, Billy, re-enters her life. This story examines themes of love, friendship and betrayal. It is well written with deeply drawn characters.

Set in northern Ontario, the novel also examines the issue of Aboriginal rights and culture, and the ways in which that culture and that of others Canadians can come into conflict.

This is my second book by the author, and I have become a fan.… (meer)