Peace Like a River.

Lief Enger. 2001. Read by Edward Holland. Books on Tape. 9-1.5 hour tapes. $72.00. 0-7356-7636-8. Vinyl binder; plot note. JSA *

In a perfect match of text and performer, Holland's semi-voiced, warm, conversational, and sympathetic interpretation of this amazing novel makes it appealing and credible. The setting is Minnesota and the North Dakota Badlands in the early 1960s. Davy, 17 and the oldest of Jeremiah Land's motherless children, has gunned down two despicable teenage thugs who have molested his girlfriend, kidnapped his sister, and threatened the safety of his home. He is arrested and jailed but somehow manages to escape, steal a horse, and head for the Badlands. Since Jeremiah has providentially just lost his job and inherited an Airstream trailer, he and his other children, 9-year-old Swede, a gifted poet who writes cowboy sagas, and Rueben, 11, who suffers from severe asthma, set out to find him. They are closely followed by an affable FBI agent. In the course of their travels the Lands are stranded in a blizzard after stopping for gas and sheltered by Roxana, the service station owner, who soon falls in love with the entire family.

The plot has so many surprising twists and turns, the characters are so vividly drawn, and the suspense so sustained that the story consistently enthralls the listener. Certain miraculous events such as Jeremiah's walking on air as he prays, Davy's escape, and Rueben's near-death experience and mysterious recovery with his lungs completely healed add to the intrigue of this imaginative and well-written work. Pat Dole, Richmond, VA