For someone who produced 13 works of nonfiction along with multiple volumes of fiction and poetry, Brian Doyle (Mink River; The Plover)--who died of brain cancer in May 2017 at age 60--never achieved a popular reception commensurate with his impressive productivity. But now, thanks to One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder, a generous sampling of the longtime Portland magazine editor's dazzling essays, there's a renewed opportunity for more readers to discover the insight and humanity of his work.
Compiled by Doyle's longtime friend David James Duncan (The Brothers K) and two co-editors, One Long River of Song's more than 80 pieces resist easy categorization. Among Doyle's preoccupations were basketball, hawks, the Gaelic language, his father, otters, and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest region where he made his home, but there are few important aspects of life that aren't at least touched on here.
As David James Duncan explains in an opening appreciation of Doyle's work, his friend, a "born cultural Catholic who cheerfully observed the rites of his inherited tradition," frequently turned to the subject of spirituality. Doyle's brand of theology will appeal to fans of the work of writers like Anne Lamott, as in the brief piece "Last Prayer" that concludes the book. In it, he thanks "Coherent Mercy," recognizing his complaints "were infinitesimal against the slather of gifts You gave mere me, a muddle of a man, so often selfish and small." Spirituality aside, readers fortunate enough to discover the many pleasures of Brian Doyle's work here will be grateful, too, for that encounter. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer