Title: The Current
Author: Tim Johnston
Published: January 2019, Algonquin Books
Format: ARC Paperback, 408 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
A Stunning New Novel from the Bestselling Author of Descent
Tim
Johnston, whose 2015 national bestseller Descent was called
“astonishing” by the Washington Post and “unforgettable” by the Miami
Herald, returns with another tour de force about the indelible impact of
a crime on the lives of innocent people.
When two young women
leave their college campus in the dead of winter for a 700-mile drive
north to Minnesota, they suddenly find themselves fighting for their
lives in the icy waters of the Black Root River, just miles from home.
One girl’s survival, and the other’s death—murder, actually—stun the
citizens of a small Minnesota town, thawing memories of another young
woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose
killer may yet live among them. One father is forced to relive his agony
while another’s greatest desire—to bring a killer to justice—is
revitalized . . . and the girl who survived the icy plunge cannot escape
the sense that she is connected to that earlier unsolved case by more
than a river. Soon enough she’s caught up in an investigation of her own
that will unearth long-hidden secrets, and stoke the violence that has
long simmered just below the surface of the town. Souls frozen in time,
ghosts and demons, the accused and the guilty, all stir to life in this
cold northern place where memories, like treachery, run just beneath the
ice, and where a young woman can come home but still not be safe.
Brilliantly
plotted, unrelentingly suspenseful, and beautifully realized, The
Current is a gripping page-turner about how the past holds the key to
the future as well as an unbreakable grip on the present.
My thoughts: This is the first book I’ve read by Tim Johnston and I was hooked right from the beginning. This literary thriller is both atmospheric in nature as well as incredibly suspenseful and kept me engaged all the way through.
I have really come to love books that are not only dark, but emotional and that is just what this book is. It starts off slow, but then becomes so addictive and captivating that you will find yourself hard-pressed to put it down. This literary thriller is so unique in that it really uses the scenery of Minnesota to give the story weight – this is definitely not your typical thriller.
One thing I will say is that it is a bit confusing at times with the bouncing back and forth between the past and present because their is little indication that this is happening. It takes a while to get used to the flow of the story, but once you do, it’s fine.
I loved that while this book is a mystery, it is also all about the small town dynamics. Having lived in small towns all my life, I could so appreciate this. A car accident that leaves one girl dead and another injured brings up memories of a similar incident ten years earlier involving the death of another girl on the same river. Both these incidents have affected the residents and I loved that we get to see the impacts of that as the cases are investigated. It also looks at the question – is it ever too late for justice?
This book really kept me engaged the entire time. It’s a dark, atmospheric read that is filled with secrets. I definitely recommend picking up this chilling, haunting read – it’s the perfect antidote to the summer heat!
A new author for me!
Have you read Fragile by Lisa Unger? I've been reading that series; it's also set in a small town.