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There’s an old inn on the Thames that’s known for its storytellers. Any given night, the husband of the proprietress or one of any of the regulars can be heard spinning a yarn. But one night, something happens at the Swan that becomes the subject of stories for years to come. An injured man comes in the door holding a child. She’s dead but he’s in need of medical attention, which he is given by Rita, a very competent nurse who might as well be a doctor. Hours later, after the stranger is treated and settled, Rita turns her attention to the poor dead child. But then, very strangely, the child stirs and wakes.
What happens next is just as strange. Several people claim she’s theirs. One set of grieving parents whose daughter disappeared two years earlier are sure she’s their daughter returned to them. One woman says it’s her younger sister. One man thinks it may be his wayward son’s daughter, whose mother committed suicide the night before the girl was found. Everyone who sees her wants to love and protect her.
Let’s just say this first: I, like millions of others, loved Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. I now compare every mysterious gothic tale with what is said to have a truly stunning twist to that novel. I’ve found nothing that quite measures up: it is just a gold standard of gothic literature. When Setterfield came out with her second book, Bellman and Black, I was excited but then quite disappointed. Now with this third novel, some years in between each, I had more measured expectations. While this still doesn’t pack the punch of Thirteenth Tale (which, let’s be honest, when you have a book that’s a gold standard, it’s going to stay that way a good long while), Once Upon a River is much more satisfying than the disappointing Bellman and Black.
This story has a feel to it of mystery, of the touch of the supernatural, but it’s much more human and weighty. Its characters are wonderfully fleshed out and ones that I felt for; I wanted them all to find some closure and peace and happiness from the events that had caused them worry and pain. Elements of the tale come together so beautifully and satisfyingly at the end, even ones that I didn’t expect needed to be tied up. I read this in e-book format, sure, but let’s just say that I “turned the last page and closed the book” feeling I’d been read the equivalent of a delicious square meal. Yay for Setterfield for coming back with this third novel!
Rated: Mild. There’s really no language, sexual content is minimal and only limited to a couple of scenes that have no real detail. Violence is limited as well and nothing strong.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
