The River Is Waiting

Bestseller Lamb (We Are Water) chronicles a family tragedy and its aftermath in this heart-wrenching story of redemption. Childcare duties fall to Corby Ledbetter, a young father with a hidden addiction to booze and Ativan, after he's laid off from his advertising job. Though his teacher wife, Emily, is patient and loving, Corby has lost momentum in his job search, finding it easier to zone out with a pill and some shots of Captain Morgan. He's a devoted dad to two-year-old twins Maisie and Niko, but he's clearly impaired when he causes an accident that results in Niko's death. The bulk of the novel comprises Corby's experiences and soul searching over a three-year prison sentence, during which he struggles with the loss of his freedom and the cruelty of two sadistic guards who punish him for defending a disturbed young inmate. He also forms friendships in the library and with his cellmate, Manny; reflects on his upbringing by an abusive father and hippie mother; and fears how Emily and Maisie will react to his release. Though the narrative is a bit baggy, Lamb lays bare the vagaries of his protagonist's life in accessible prose and concludes on a bittersweet note. This will please the author's fans. Agent: Bill Clegg, Clegg Agency. (May)