McGhee, Alison. All Rivers Flow to the Sea.

McGHEE, Alison. All rivers flow to the sea. Candlewick. 176p. c2005. 0-7636-2591-4. $15.99. JS *

Without once descending to sentimentality or melodrama, this novel manages to reveal 17-year-old Rose Latham's pain at being the driver of the car in an accident that put her older sister Ivy in a coma. Forced to leave Ivy's bedside and return to school, Rose focuses on putting one foot in front of the other and showing a stoic face to the world. The prose at the beginning of the novel reflects her struggle in short, declarative sentences reminiscent of a Dick and Jane reader. As her encounters grow more complex, so does the prose. Rose seeks to find relief from pain with meaningless sexual encounters. She wants to maintain her numbness because the pain and guilt are unendurable. Yet she is blessed with friends who eventually help to carry the load of her grief. They are wonderful, quirky characters who offer solace with laconic charm and dry wit.

This is one of those rare books that somehow manages to express the inexpressible. It rips the scabs off wounds to show the bleeding underneath. Perhaps this book would be good bibliotherapy, but those who have experienced recent loss may find it too difficult. Certainly, it offers a window into the process of grieving useful for those who must stand and watch to understand. Myrna Marler, Assoc. Prof. of English, BYU,, Provo, UT