IN THE HEART OF THE CANYON
Elisabeth Hyde
Knopf
Fiction
ISBN: 9780307263674
JT Maroney has guided raft tours down the Colorado River 124 times. His 125th trip will be the one he never forgets, although he has no way of knowing that as his passengers begin to gather at the start of their journey, along with his seasoned assistant guides, Dixie and Abo. JT finds nothing remarkable in this set of clients…yet.
He is already well acquainted with one couple. Ruth and Lloyd Frankel are from Illinois. They are in their 70s now, but have been down the Colorado many times, sometimes with JT as their guide. Their river trips have been a unifying, grounding and spiritual experience for them over their married years --- a touchstone neither would willingly give up. However, Ruth is well aware that this will be their last rafting trip. Lloyd is exhibiting signs of Alzheimer's disease. Although his doctor gave the okay for him to take the trip, Ruth knows bringing him is risky. She also realizes that their age alone will make for a challenging journey, but little does she know the test that is in store for both of them.
Amy is 17 years old and traveling with her mother, Susan. Theirs is a relationship fraught with emotions. Amy is hyper-conscious of being overweight (in her journal pages, which weave through the chapters, she dubs herself "FAT GIRL"). She is positive that she is a disappointment to her mom, with some validity. Susan has high hopes that this trip will help mend her troubled relationship with the daughter she loves but doesn't understand.
Jill and Mark Compson are another pair of rafters with a powder-keg relationship. They travel with their young sons, whose shenanigans often add to the tensions of their marriage. The couple's problems are laid bare during the trip as Jill gains a new perspective on her husband.
Another married couple, Mitchell and Lena, add to the group's frictions. Mitchell is an historian and researcher who often feels the need to elbow JT out of the way in order to try to lead the trip himself. Lena is a bit of an unknown quantity, overshadowed by her outspoken husband.
Two single clients are also on the rafting trip. Both are recovering from recently broken relationships. Peter is in his 20s and smarting from having his girlfriend leave him. He is instantly enamored with assistant guide Dixie. Evelyn is a Harvard professor who doesn't fit in well with the others despite great effort, and nurses a terrible loneliness for her ex.
As their journey begins, new relationships start to form and old ones are seen in a new light. An unexpected newcomer joins the group along the way, unleashing even more conflicts as well as joyful reactions and humorous scenes. JT's feeling that this 125th trip is just another journey down the Colorado River changes as his group experiences one extraordinary disaster after another, causing him to wonder what his own future might hold.
IN THE HEART OF THE CANYON works well as a study of group and individual reactions and interactions during unique internal and external conflicts. In addition, the rafting trip makes for a thrilling ride of a story. A stunning scene uncovering one rafter's predicament came as a complete surprise, although plentiful clues are in plain view in hindsight. How much did I love this book? I couldn't resist gulping it down in two sittings, oblivious to my own real life (yeah, sorry about that frozen pizza dinner, honey…but I was busy rafting down the Colorado River). A huge, enthusiastic thumbs-up for this riveting page-turner, which will definitely be high up on my "Best of 2009" list.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
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