Go as a River

For fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, Great Circle. The lush, immersive, soaring tale of a young woman's journey to becoming, of love and loss, home and resilience, and finding those where least expected, and a breathtaking exploration of our connection to nature.

'Shelley Read's lyrical voice is a force of nature and when she lends it to a woman leading a hardscrabble life in rural Colorado, the result is tragic, uplifting and completely unforgettable' — Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

'A compelling tale of love and a heroine fighting back' — Patrick Gale

On a cool autumn day, Victoria Nash heads into the village from her family's farm in rural Colorado pulling a rickety wagon filled with late-season peaches. As she nears an intersection, a stranger in town stops to ask her the way. Over the next few moments, as the townspeople look on warily, the course of Victoria's life will be forged.

So begins a mesmerising story of split-second decisions and thoughtful acts that make up Victoria's tumultuous life as she attempts to escape her dissolute family.

Gathering all the pieces of her small and extraordinary existence, spinning through the eddies of desire, heartbreak and betrayal, she will arrive at a single rocky decision that will change her life forever.

Go as a River is a heartwrenching coming-of-age story and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettable characters and a breathtaking natural setting, it is a sweeping story of survival and self reinvention, of the deepest mysteries of love, truth and fate.

About the Author

Shelley Read is a fifth generation Coloradoan who lives with her family in the Elk Mountains of the Western Slope. She was a Senior Lecturer at Western Colorado University for nearly three decades, where she taught writing, literature, environmental studies, and Honors, and was a founder of the Environment & Sustainability major and a support program for first-generation and at-risk students. Go as A River, her first novel, is inspired by the landscape she comes from and will be published in over twenty-five territories.