Donna Jonas Milner lives with her husband in British Columbia. After River is her first novel.
Adult/High School—This novel with multiple voices chronicles different points in a woman's life. The main narrative follows Natalie Ward, who leads a charmed life in Prince George, BC, during the 1960s. It is only a matter of time before reality interferes with the idyllic. The political uncertainty of the era comes knocking on her family's door in the form of a draft resister, Richard "River" Jordan. His resistance to the war in Vietnam causes tension on the Ward homestead. The plot moves somewhat predictably through Natalie's relationship with him, as well as her changing relationships with her brothers and parents as she moves toward adulthood. What begins as a vivid picture of the turbulence of the period devolves somewhat into a problem novel with a historical backdrop. The consequences of war, homosexuality, and early promiscuity are explored through Natalie's eyes, but the details seem almost trite. Teens might enjoy the depiction of Natalie's early life in the 1960s, but they may be turned off by other narrative threads, especially that of the adult Natalie, now grown and alienated from some of her family, dealing with her dying mother's illness. Milner's novel will appeal to teens who have raided their parents' shelves for psychological, plot-driven fiction by writers such as Sue Miller or Anita Shreve.—Caitlin Fralick, Ottawa Public Library, ON
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