Once Upon a River

Even contemporary authors (and readers) like to fall back on the Victorian Age since it has so much to offer. It’s an age when “wonder” was still possible, when the supernatural had a strong influence, when superstition (strong enough to believe in dragons!) caused all sorts of strange behaviours, even though science, education, and reason prevailed in many areas already. This conflict provides plenty of narrative material. “Once Upon a River” draws from all of it. You will find a rich array of characters; first and foremost a river, as suggested in the title; in this case the River Thames. It's a tale of villainy and virtue, hatred and love. It’s a mystery as well as a ghost story. You’ll find Sherlockian deduction (even a cautious and somewhat timid venture into psychotherapy) and plenty of spiritualism. But rather than being overburdened, it’s a truly gratifying and satisfying read. It won’t surprise anyone that I was initially attracted to it because of its beautiful cover (of the British version). It comes fully in line with the notion of “curling up with a good book.” And speaking of curling: Another one of my favourites from recent years is Sarah Perry’s prize-winning “The Essex Serpent.” “Once Upon a River” comes very close as an equivalent candidate not only for the “category of intriguing covers” but also for its riveting Victorian storytelling. Allow yourself to be swept away “so powerfully between the worlds of the living and the dead, between reality and a story.” On a side note, this book boasts some fine humour and comic relief. The close-knit village cohesion is quite touching and becomes most obvious in the gatherings at the inn. One character is reporting how quickly a woman, Mrs Vaughan, was rowing her boat up the river. According to him, she went “haring up the river.” “ ‘But … haring, you say?’ – ‘That’s right. Quick as a hare, it means.’ – ‘I know what it means, all right. But you can’t say she was haring up the river.’ – ‘Why ever not?’ – ‘Have you ever seen a hare rowing a boat?’ - … ‘A hare in a boat? Don’t be daft!’ – ‘That’s why you can’t say she went haring up the river. If a hare can’t hare up a river, how can Mrs Vaughan? Think about it.’ ‘What about an otter?’ suggested a young bargeman. ‘They don’t hang about.’ … ‘Mrs Vaughan went ottering up the river…’ The farmhand shook his head. ‘It sounds no better.’ – ‘In fact it sounds a bit worse…’ – ‘Well, what am I supposed to say then? If I can’t say haring and I can’t say ottering? I’ve got to say something.’”

A literary language to smile, melt and enjoy. I had to sigh, laugh and fear with the protagonists. The implementation of the story and the interestingly interwoven characters captivated me. I wanted to dive into that story... Mrs Constantine was my favorite side-charakter.