Not a River was one of my most anticipated from last year that somehow fell through the cracks. I just never got around to it. That said, I was thrilled when Recorded Books and NetGalley kindly decided to grant me the audio arc for review (thanks so much!) The narrator did a fantastic job and stands out among all the other audiobooks I listen to. Both the story and the narrator complimented each other well!

The audiobook was an interesting listen. I enjoyed the characters, setting and the writing of this book but I felt like it was too short. Two hours was not enough to get into the story. I wish it was longer and explored the characters and themes more in depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a review.

My brain is in knots about the time dilation, but I absolutely love that either interpretation of our twin narratives works perfectly. Are they ghosts? Are we getting parallel narratives? A dark little novel about retribution, friendship, and tourism in miniature.

Shortlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize, I was looking forward to listening to this audiobook. The narrator was excellent. The writing style is beautiful, and the story is simple yet emotional. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Not a River by Selva Almada skillfully intertwines the lives of its characters, illustrating how small actions can impact interconnected lives. The oppressive heat reflects the increasing tension, with every moment feeling suffocating. Almada adeptly portrays the heaviness of simmering emotions, toxic masculinity, and a stifling atmosphere.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Andrew Joseph Perez was an amazing narrator for this book!
4.25

"Not A River" is a masterpiece in atmospheric storytelling by Argentinian author Selva Almada, flawlessly translated by Annie McDermott and dynamically voiced by Andrew Joseph Perez. The story is competently narrated – Perez has an array of different voices and accents, adding to the richness of Almada's prose. Perez's Argentinian accent adds to the history and musicality of the book. The story felt disconnected at times, but probably I'm the one to blame – or my dog, for distracting me midway through. The story is short but beautifully crafted, with the feeling I was in a folklore dreamlike tale. I highly recommend this audiobook if you enjoy atmospheric, mundane Argentinian literature or beautiful prose narrated in a beautiful Argentinian-English accent.

Thank you, Selva Almada and HighBridge Audio for the opportunity to review this excellent audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion. This is the first review, which will be updated and published on social media and retailers near the publishing date.

I loved this book and I love the whole trilogy (though possibly Brickmakers remains my favourite). It is fast-paced, exciting and packages the underlying theme it examines really well. Good narrator.

A night like this, just like this, only darker."

Not a River opens with three young man, capturing and killing a stingray on their fishing trip on the titular river. In the hazy heat of the afternoon sun, they recall a trip not unlike this one from years ago, which ended in tragedy and encounter the ghosts that have haunted these three men ever since.

Despite its brief length at just under 100 pages, Almada packs this story to the brim with heavy themes. Toxic masculinity, grief, guilt, abortion, and even the political landscape of Argentina are all touched upon. Around it is a dreamlike narrative following the events around the river in a non-linear fashion, tying it all together. With mixed success…
I appreciated many individual elements of this story, but ultimately struggled with all of them put together. In terms of themes, I felt it tried to do too much with the little time and pages it had. Adding to that: the disorienting timeline and the use of magical realism in the form of ghosts was fascinating, but took away from the clarity I felt was needed to do the themes justice.
I usually love short succinct books, but in this case I felt it would’ve benefited from either more page time or a tighter scope.

Full disclosure: I read this book 2x for review-purposes, once in the Dutch translation and once in the English. Aforementioned feelings persisted through both, so I don’t think the translation played a part in this. Both Annie McDermott (English) and Marijke Arijs (Dutch) did incredible jobs of preserving atmosphere and language in translation.
The audiobook for the English version is superbly narrated too, and I can highly recommend this as an immersive experience.

I was provided with both an audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for providing me with gifted audiobook of "Not a River" by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize last year, this novel is atmospheric and richly written, but unfortunately, it didn’t fully resonate with me. While Almada’s prose is evocative, the narrative felt elusive, leaving me more confused than engaged. The slow pacing and ambiguity made it difficult to connect with the story. That said, I appreciate the novel’s literary depth and can see its appeal to readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven fiction.