The River At Night
Wini Allen thought she was signing up for a getaway—not a fight for her life. Dragged into the remote Allagash Wilderness by her friends for a much-needed rafting trip, Wini’s fragile world is shattered when a catastrophic accident strands the group deep in the woods, stripped of their gear and their safety. When they stumble upon a seemingly abandoned camp in the dark, it feels like a miracle. But the light of the fire reveals a terrifying reality: they aren't the only ones in the woods, and their "saviors" have sinister plans. With her friends in danger and the wilderness closing in, Wini must confront the demons of her past and tap into a dormant, fierce resolve. The wilderness is unforgiving, but the people hiding in the shadows are far deadlier.
- Wini - Protagonist
- Pia - Wini's friend
- Rachel - Wini's friend, ER nurse
- Sandra - Wini's friend
- Rory - Rafting and hiking guide
- Marcus - Wini’s brother, deceased
- Simone - Dean’s mother
- Dean - Simone’s son
- Wini, Pia, Rachel and Sandra travel to Maine where they meet Rory to begin their multi-day rafting/hiking adventure.
- On the first day of rafting, a giant log strikes Rory, knocking him off the raft and pinning him underwater.
- Pia, Rachel and Wini are unable to move the log off Rory’s body and he drowns.
- They free his body, bring it to shore and bury it.
- They cannot find the raft.
- They walk downriver hoping to find the raft.
- When it gets dark, they stop and see a fire in the distance.
- They meet Simone and her mute son, Dean.
- Simone tells the women they live off the grid because someone tried to take Dean away from her.
- Simone tells Dean in sign language that he needs to kill the women so no one discovers they are living in the woods, not realizing Wini understands sign language.
- Simone tells the women that Dean will lead them out of the woods the next morning.
- When Simone and Dean go to sleep, the women sneak back to the river to follow it downstream.
- They find their raft slashed and stripped of all its gear.
- The women stop to rest and Dean finds them.
- Dean tells Wini that when he was five, Simone killed his abusive father and then cut out Dean’s tongue.
- Dean shows the women a raft he made and they all start floating down the river.
- Sandra gets shot by Simone and dies.
- They bury Sandra’s body in the forest.
- Dean tells Wini, Pia and Rachel to wait until sunrise and if he's not back by then to leave without him, then runs away.
- Pia and Rachel want to take the raft and leave, but Wini wants to wait for Dean. Eventually Wini gives in and the three women set off down the river again.
- The raft starts breaking apart so the women jump into the water.
- They sleep through the night and wake to Simone threatening to kill them.
- Dean appears and scuffles with Simone.
- They tie Simone to a tree and continue their journey.
- They find a road and are rescued by a semi driver.
- Three months later: Rory and Sandra’s bodies are recovered and given proper burials.
- Simone cannot be located.
- Wini becomes Dean’s legal advocate.
- Dean is placed in a halfway house.
The River at Night is a well-written thriller that leans into the "lost in the woods" trope. However, while the prose itself is genuinely good, the overall execution doesn't offer anything unique to make it stand out from other wilderness survival books.
The story starts off quite slow. A significant portion of the early narrative is dedicated to the main character, Wini, thinking back on her past. Unfortunately, these deep dives into her history have very little to do with the present-day stakes, which bogs down the momentum when you really just want to get straight to the action. The pacing does pick up in the second half once the actual survival elements kick in. Because the story is told exclusively from Wini's perspective, I never felt like I got a very good read on the other women in the group. This made it a bit difficult to fully invest in their dynamic or care about their survival.
My biggest issue, however, was the distinct lack of tension. These women are lost in the remote wilderness without any gear and eventually stumble upon dangerous strangers, but I just wasn't feeling the fear or terror that should have accompanied such a horrifying situation.
Ultimately, the conclusion felt a bit lackluster to me. Overall, it is a decent, entertaining read if you can't get enough of the wilderness survival trope, but it won't be the most memorable one you pick up this year.
- Rory - Dead - Drowned
- Sandra - Dead - Shot by Simone
- Rachel - Alive - Pursuing board certification in neonatal care
- Dean - Alive - Living in a halfway house
- Pia - Alive - Blames herself for Sandra’s death
- Wini - Alive - Embracing life
- Simone - Alive - Cannot be located
- Murder
- Drowning
- Child abuse
ISBN: 9781501143199
Publication Date: January 10, 2017
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
