The River

“There was a delicate but strong balance of risk versus caution in their team thinking, with the roles often fluid, and it’s what made them such good partners.”

The narrative describes the balancing temperaments of Jack and Wynn. This balance is useful in the high-risk environment of wilderness canoeing and also helps draw out the characterization of both Jack and Wynn.

“The clarity of the air was like putting on magnifying glasses: every trunk of every birch tree seemed to stand out against the backdrop of tamarack, of spruce, and there were touches of yellow at the edges of the limbs, and some of the tamarack needles were the faded colors of fall grass. The pink fireweed along the shore beneath the trees popped as in a painting.”

This highly imagistic passage demonstrates Heller’s talent for lyrical prose. Many of the settings in the book take on a colorful visual aspect, which lends a cinematic effect to the narrative.

“They saw the moose standing at the edge of the woods watching, and he seemed forlorn, as if he wanted to join them. He had clearly never seen a human before.”

The description of the moose here indicates the remoteness of the wildness of the setting. The moose isn’t afraid, suggesting a lack of experience with humans, a world unspoiled by human interference and conquest.