The River We Remember

Content Warning: This section contains references to sexual assault and rape.

Brody Dern is the novel’s protagonist. A decorated World War II veteran who serves as the county sheriff, Brody is a complex and dynamic character. He is 35 years old, dedicated to his job, and, although outwardly stoic, haunted by his experiences as a soldier. He has for many years been engaging in a clandestine affair with his brother Tom’s wife Garnet, but the relationship brings him as much pain as it does happiness. A solitary man, he spends most of his time with his dog Hector.

Brody, like many of the men in Jewel, had difficult experiences during the war and struggles to adjust to civilian life in the years following the Allied victory. Although this maladjustment makes his social life difficult, it is not a hindrance to him as an officer of the law. He is “a man who’d seen things in war that inured him to the shock of normal emergencies in a place like Jewel” (8). His dedication to his job is evident in the sheer amount of time he devotes to the case of Jimmy Quinn’s murder, although he reveals his inner complexity when he destroys evidence at the scene of the crime.