Go as a River
Go as a River by Shelley Read is a poignant narrative set against the backdrop of Colorado’s natural beauty, published by Spiegel & Grau on June 3, 2025. This 320-page novel follows the life of seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash, who manages her family’s peach farm in the small town of Iola. Her life takes a dramatic turn after a chance encounter with Wilson Moon, a young drifter with a mysterious past. The story delves into themes of love, loss, and survival as Victoria navigates the challenges posed by her family dynamics and the harsh realities of her environment.
Readers will find a deeply emotional coming-of-age tale that captures Victoria’s journey of self-discovery amidst tragedy and change. As she flees into the mountains, the narrative explores her struggle for survival and the resilience she discovers within herself. Inspired by true events surrounding the destruction of Iola in the 1960s, Go as a River examines the intertwined relationships of family life and the impact of nature on personal growth. This edition invites readers to reflect on the meaning of home and the strength found in adversity.
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER and BOOK CLUB FAVORITE * Over 1 million copies sold worldwide!
* 2024 High Plains Book Award Winner * 2023 Reading the West Book Award Winner * Finalist for Goodreads Choice Award * Colorado Public Radio 2023 Books We Love * 2025 Prix de l’Union Interalliée *
Set amid Colorado’s wild beauty, the heartbreaking coming-of-age story of a resilient young woman whose life is changed forever by one chance encounter. A tragic and uplifting novel of love and loss, family and survival–and hope–for readers of Great Circle, The Four Winds, and Where the Crawdads Sing.
“Beautiful . . . A striking first novel of love and strength and growth, set against the forests and rivers of Colorado’s high country. Read is a gifted writer, and the book is a literary triumph.”–Denver Post
“With gorgeous descriptions of the great outdoors, an illicit love story, and an unforgettable protagonist, Go as a River offers something for everyone.”–Real Simple
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it . . . it’s stunning.”–Jen Hatmaker
Seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado–the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land and determined to live as he chooses.
Victoria encounters Wil by chance on a street corner, a meeting that profoundly alters both of their young lives, igniting as much passion as danger. When tragedy strikes, Victoria leaves the only life she has ever known, fleeing into the surrounding mountains, where she struggles to survive in the wilderness with no clear notion of what her future will bring. As the seasons change, she also charts the changes in herself, finding in the beautiful but harsh landscape the meaning and strength to move forward and rebuild all that she has lost, even as the Gunnison River threatens to submerge her homeland–its ranches, farms, and the beloved peach orchard that has been in her family for generations.
Inspired by true events surrounding the destruction of the town of Iola in the 1960s, Go as a River is a story of deeply held love in the face of hardship and loss, but also of finding courage, resilience, friendship, and, finally, home–where least expected. This stunning debut explores what it means to lead your life as if it were a river–gathering and flowing, finding a way forward even when a river is dammed.
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