The River Why

By: David James Duncan

Narrated by: Dick Hill

The classic novel of fly fishing and spirituality republished with a new Afterword by the author.

Since its publication in 1983, The River Why has become a classic. David James Duncan's sweeping novel is a coming-of-age comedy about love, nature, and the quest for self-discovery, written in a voice as distinct and powerful as any in American letters.

Gus Orviston is a young fly fisherman who leaves behind his comically schizoid family to find his own path. Taking refuge in a remote cabin, he sets out in pursuit of the Pacific Northwest's elusive steelhead. But what begins as a physical quarry becomes a spiritual one as his quest for self-knowledge batters him with unforeseeable experiences.

Profoundly reflective about our connection to nature and to one another, The River Why is also a comedic rollercoaster. Like Gus, the reader emerges utterly changed, stripped bare by the journey Duncan so expertly navigates.

Critic reviews

Praise for The River Why:

"A whirlwind, madcap, humorous and sensitive novel"—New York Times

"A hymn to the waters of the earth and the wholeness of life. It is also funny."—Miami Herald

"A veritable epic of flyfishing... done in a high-velocity, exuberant style, sprawling in scale, heedless of form... The feeling for and evocation of the imperiled natural world is rhapsodic in its intensity; the writing energetic, literary in a distinctly American way... So amiable is the prevailing tone that the flowing narrative is able to absorb Koranic and Eastern mysticisms, Tao, Sufism, Zen-the religions of oneness and gospel of love-without turning into the kind of maudlin choral chanting that so often disfigures treatments of fusion of self and the world."—Publishers Weekly

This is a modern-repeat, modern -tale of maturity and redemption.—Christian Science Monitor

Funny, relatable and touching.

It’s fun to follow the details of the main characters, trailing thoughts. I think the narrator did an amazing job with the characters, and added to the humor of the writing.

This book is very fine!

Duncan, belongs in the pantheon with Maclean and McGuane, because in places his prose is every bit as ethereal and transcendent. His own fisherman meditations meander uniquely through a perineal spirituality, which is an interesting and fitting braid to this narrative, and that lure that I found most worth following. He is clearly a writer who seeks the source waters, of world, of self, of why, thus his ethos springs from his powers of observation and contemplation. Years ago, I had seen the film adaptation, and thought erroneously I had a grasp on Duncan’s content, but this made me foolishly put off this special read for too long. I’ll be ordering a hard copy now too, so I can sit with his deeper currents again and again. The narrator is quite capable and has a sense for the writer’s complexities.

I’m not a believer in any super natural but I enjoyed this book.

It was funny, heartwarming, interesting and I had a very interesting end, even though I’m not a believer that I really enjoyed.

A little over the top, but I liked it.

For the most part, I liked this book.

There is an almost cartoony exaggeration to this highly anecdotal fable. I know that it’s all meant to be surreal and playful, but the writing (and performance) feel a little silly sometimes. Like the author would have a charming idea and take it a little too far. Despite the lack of subtlety, the story and morals of this journey are really rather lovely.

Wonderful

Duncan outdoes most authors with the way he weaves this story. It the the coming of age for a young man who, despite being raised by avid fisher-people, manages to sort out what is important to him in life. Not so many characters that you get lost, but just the right number to make a well rounded story!