The River Knows Your Name
Two narratives, one in the 1930s and the other in the early 1970s, link and merge in this satisfying Southern novel of family and found family set primarily in Natchez, Mississippi.
In 1931, Becca marries Ben, and they give birth to Evie. But it is the Depression, and Ben must travel farther and farther to find work. After an extended period of not hearing from Ben and money becoming scarcer, Becca responds to a letter of reconciliation to Ben from her wealthy mother-in-law, Mildred. She doesn’t know why the rift between Mildred and her son, but she has no choice but to seek her help in finding Ben.
In 1971, Nell and her sister Evie have been unable to uncover the secrets their mother, Hazel, carries. As young children, Nell and Evie accidently discovered Evie’s birth certificate naming Becca Chambers as her birth mother. Nell only recalls a two-year-old Evie being dropped off at their door in the night when Nell was five. Now an adult, Nell discovers a glamorous photo of Hazel and a mysterious man in a nightclub, apparently from the 1930s. This sets her on a quest to uncover past secrets that her tight-lipped mother refuses to reveal.
Through many twists and turns, the story unfolds while moving between the two time periods. The hardships of Becca trying to raise Evie and the struggles of Hazel raising Nell highlight the destitution and determination of working-class women raising children alone during the Depression. Nell’s quest to find answers brings about some convenient coincidences, but none to the novel’s detriment. Mildred is a character to despise as her self-serving manipulations destroy so many others. This is a page turner because it becomes imperative we discover why and how Becca and Evie become separated, and Evie becomes a part of Nell’s family.
