The River Within by Karen Powell is an atmospheric study of class and desire set in 1950s England. Richmond Hall is the backdrop, representing the dissipating post-World War II British caste system. Lady Richmond's memories frame the nonlinear action within. Her inclination to "follow the ways she knew, the old routine that gave her a sense of purpose and comfort," collides with a postwar generation with little interest in tradition.
The discovery of Danny Masters's body in the river unveils a complex dynamic among characters that offers ominous suggestions about his death. Danny loved Lennie, the enigmatic daughter of the Hall's overseer, since childhood. While Lennie's day-to-day actions embody classic feminine virtues of modesty and hard work, she also projects a strange, ethereal quality that distinguishes her from other women. In fact, Alexander, heir to Richmond Hall and Lennie's lover, tells her she's "a changeling... a fairy creature that had strayed from the woods." Alexander is part of the childhood group that included Danny and Lennie, but his position means that he avoids their obligations. He's mercurial and cruel, selfish in the way that privilege can manifest, and ultimately unforgivably betrays Lennie. Repressed emotions explode in the heart-breaking conclusion. "The river would flow on though, long after the earth had closed in around the bones of the past, and the land would become what it always had been: a palimpsest waiting for a new story to be told..." This precisely plotted dramatic mystery, with an extraordinarily personal gaze, is perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson and Susanna Clarke. --Cindy Pauldine, bookseller, the river's end bookstore, Oswego, N.Y.