‘Gone To See The River Man’ by Kristopher Triana: Afterthoughts

“Super fans. Groupies. Stalkers. These people will give anything for the idols they worship, be they rock stars, actors or authors. Or even serial killers.”

Yet again, here we are with another disturbing book that I have seen recommended on Tik Tok. As a fan of true crime/serial killer documentaries, the premise of this book - summarised by the above quote taken from the blurb - grabbed my attention. I was also pleasantly surprised when it arrived to see that it is a small book (less than 200 pages long) so it is likely to be fast paced and I won’t get bored quickly!

The book follows Lori, a 40-something year-old woman who writes to a murderer in prison named Edward. As their relationship develops, he asks her to go and see ‘The River Man’, a somewhat mythical person who, apparently, lives deep in the woods along the river. Desperate to prove her ever-growing love to him, she accepts this quest to find him, discovering some dark truths along the way. 

Before I continue, here are some potential trigger warnings for this book:

• Murder
• Mutilation of a corpse 
• Rape
• Incest

SPOILERS AHEAD 

As you can gather from the trigger warnings, this book is about more than just a journey through the woodland. In fact, I wasn’t expecting such disturbing content when I bought this book, and I know it is likely to shock many people. 

Every other chapter revisits Lori’s younger years, exploring her relationship with her parents, sister (Abby) and brother (Pete). As the exploration for the River Man begins, we have learned that Abby has various learning disabilities after a head injury. The earlier chapters illustrate how this came to be, and what caused it - here is where things get dark.

Lori and Abby fancy the same boy. Lori catches Abby and this boy having sex, enraging her into a psychotic frenzy. She becomes adamant in her mind that becoming ‘good at sex’ is what is going to convince this boy to be with her instead… so she has sex with her brother. Told you it was dark. 

Her brother is against this, and becomes a hollow shell of guilt and remorse. I had only heard about the ‘serial killer’ side of this book, not the horrific illustration of a woman raping her brother. You also come to learn that it is Lori who is responsible for Abby’s disability. 

As the book goes on, I can’t help but find Lori incredibly unlikeable - not because she has committed these horrific acts, but it becomes apparent that she is incredibly selfish. She gloats about being a ‘better human’ than her sister now she is disabled, and blames her brother for what she has done to him. As you can imagine, it becomes hard to read at times. I felt this quote describes this selfishness best: 

“The desire to dominate was raw and savage, a craving she’d never fully been aware of. But she had dominated Pete and loved it. And in crippling her sister, Lori had become dominant over Abby. Where sibling rivalry was concerned, she had proven herself champion. And she fucking loved it. But outside of her own kin, she had always been submissive, even weak.”

This illustrates how Lori’s selfishness may come from a place of insecurity. She needed to be ‘number 1’, even if it meant bringing her ‘rivals’ down in the most horrendous ways imaginable. 

What I appreciated about this book is how, despite the awful things that occur, the storyline seems somewhat realistic, in that it wouldn’t be unlikely for a woman to write back and forth with a prisoner. However, as the girls travel up the river to continue searching for the River Man, the book takes a slight turn into fantasy. They describe how the river has now turned to blood, the man who is helping them dies, and that they can hear the ghost of their (now dead) brother Pete in the woods. 

Things continue to become bizarre, with more unexplainable visions and flashbacks. It only gets worse upon finding the River Man. 

It is unclear whether what happens next is a dream, vision, or if it really happened. Whichever one it is, Lori ends up leaving the woods alone, psychologically damaged and determined to get back to a now free Edward - I won’t spoil all of it!

Overall, I enjoyed the fact this book was fast-paced, easy to read, and the way Triana is not afraid to discuss taboo subjects. I particularly appreciated the element of psychological ambiguity towards the end of the book, however I found the overall ending pretty abrupt and a bit disappointing. That being said, if you are looking for a quick, disturbing read then I would recommend this book!