When pregnant Victoria flees to the wilderness, she is exposed to the elements and must survive on her own. How do the forces of nature in the Big Blue contrast with those in Iola? As Victoria attunes herself to her new forest home, she finds herself changing: “Woven in some great and mysterious tapestry, the only sound I listened for was the steady pulse of the vast collection of beating hearts, the inhale and exhale of a million lives being lived alongside mine. I realized I had never been less afraid in my life.” How would you characterize the role of the natural world in Victoria’s development? What does her time in the wilderness allow her to discover about herself?

Go as a River: A Novel