I'm sorry to tell you this book's publication date isn't until January 2024. Wow! What a wonderful story. Set on a beloved river in Northern Wisconsin, this is a story of a family and a community that depend (well, as much as you can) on that powerful and unreliable piece of nature called a river. Gosh, if you love William Kent Kreuger or Kristin Hannah's description of setting and their character development, you'll want to put this on your winter reading list.

True North
Andrew J. Graff
Pub Date: Jan 16, 2024
Ecco
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Heartfelt novel of marriage and whitewater rafting. The book follows one couple as they navigate changes in the family, community and the river itself. This was a new author for me and I dearly enjoyed it.
4 stars

True North was ok. I got tired of Swami's whining but was happy when she finally takes charge. Her leaving Sam for California makes her seem selfish and spoiled. As for Sam he just made mistakes all through the story. I liked the family dynamic and most of the other characters were engaging.

I requested this book on Netgalley because I dearly loved Raft of Stars. I was thrilled to get an ARC…it made my week and went to the top of my TBR.

I just finished it and I really enjoyed it. Now, I have never been rafting…but I feel like I know a lot more about it after reading this book! It’s a family story set against the backdrop of a whitewater rafting business. The setting of this book is so vivid that the river is almost a character.

There’s a lot of adventure in this book and excitement, but mostly it’s a family story. There’s both inherited family relationships (husband/wife/kids) as well as found family relationships.

My only criticism of the book is that there’s a lot of competing storylines. A mining company is looking to move in to town. There’s a competing rafting company that is edging out the main characters’ company with fancy zip lines and brand new equipment. Bills are mounting. Did I mentioned that there are some ancient Native American landmarks being threatened by the encroaching development? Then we have the family drama of will-they-or-won’t-they-split-up-for-good. It’s a lot jam packed into one book, but all of the storylines get resolved by the end.

This is a book that I would hand to lots of different types of readers. It definitely feels like a good “dad book” but it would have wide appeal to those who like wilderness fiction or found family stories. If you like Peter Heller’s books (particularly The River) but would like less of the creepy factor, then this book would be great for you. (And you absolutely need to read Raft of Stars, because it’s a wonderful book!)

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC. (PS to the publisher: the cover is gorgeous! Whoever does the covers for Graff’s books is brilliant at their job!)

(Second book I’ve read with is title and they couldn’t be more different.) Excellent family story as we read of the struggles with nature and competition in the industry by people who learn to maintain their true north.