The Banks of Certain Rivers

Title: The Banks of Certain Rivers
Publisher: Self Published
Pub Date: March 19th 2013
Author: Jon Harrison
Received From: Purchased



Neil Kazenzakis is barely holding his life together: ever since an accident left his wife profoundly disabled, he's been doing his best as a single dad and popular high school teacher. He's also been dealing with Lauren Downey, his sort-of girlfriend of the past two years who's pushing for a commitment—and for Neil to finally tell his son Christopher about their secret relationship.

Neil's carefully balanced world begins to fall apart when some questionable footage of him is anonymously posted to YouTube...just as Chris learns about Lauren in the worst possible way. Doubting his own recollection of the events in the online video as he's threatened with the loss of his job and the ability to care for his wife, Neil must find a way to prove the truth to his family, his community, and himself as he struggles to regain the splintered trust of his son.

Heartbreaking, poignant, and written with devastating humor and warmth, The Banks of Certain Rivers is a shattering story of memory, loss, and just how far a man will go to show the people closest to him the meaning of love.

 It has been some time since I've found a book with little to no knowledge of what it is about and had my socks blown off but On The Banks of Certain Rivers did just that. First of all this wasn't the typical love story, or family drama story. I loved seeing the husband and father point of view here from Neil. Every moment of the story line drew me in to him as a character. I just couldn't hold on to see how he would handle the next step. The fact that he was a high school educator and had the issue with some footage online really drew in some mystery to the story, but just the right amount. Add in a mother in law with some need for his attention, a teenage boy, and a girlfriend we all know it's going to be hard. Each character really had a tie into who Neil is right now and how he got there. It really isn't often I love a book so much I can't put it down but this is for sure one of those stories!