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While this is a really good novel, the narrative is uneven. There are a lot of pages in which the plot is being slowly—very slowly—unspooled, but once it hits the final third of the book, the pace picks up considerably. Just know that going in.

Written by Kelly Mustian, this is a novel told in two timelines, taking place from Clay Mountain, North Carolina to Natchez, Mississippi and several lonely, backwater spots in between.

Storyline No. 1: It's 1971 and at age 42 and in between jobs, Nell Brown is determined to uncover the mysteries and unanswered questions about her birth and her sister Evie's even more enigmatic early childhood. Nell's mother Hazel refuses to offer any information and is offended when Nell asks questions. Nell has no idea who her father is, and neither of them know about Evie's parents. Nell vaguely remembers a dark, rainy night when Evie not yet two years old was brought to their house by a man in a truck, and soon after Hazel fled the area with the two little girls. One day as children, they find a "cradle roll" tucked into a copy of "Jane Eyre" that lists two strangers as Evie's parents. Where had Evie come from?

Storyline No. 1: It's the early 1930s during the Great Depression. Soon after Becca Chambers loses the only woman she has ever known as her mother, a woman who cared for her since she was six years old, Becca is also widowed. After Ben's untimely death, Becca is left having to support their baby girl, Evie. Her evil, meddling mother-in-law causes Becca to flee far away with Evie. Even so, the unthinkable happens to Evie after the greatest betrayal imaginable, destroying Becca's life.

When the two stories finally merge after quite a few twists and turns, the novel becomes a page-turner that is impossible to put down. But you have to be patient until you get to this point. Tighter writing and better editing would have fixed the early issues.

Engaging and tender, this multilayered story that is filled with secrets just waiting to be revealed is one that celebrates the love of mothers, the desolation of betrayal, and the exaltation of redemption.

Which character is keeping the most secrets in this beautifully written dual timeline read?

The writing and storyline are just pull-you-in amazing.

We meet Hazel, Nell, Evie, Becca, Ben, and Mildred.

Evie is the connection to both time periods and families in both the 1930s and in 1971.

We follow Becca and Evie as they go through their days without Becca’s husband and Evie’s father Ben.

Becca finds out that her nasty mother-in-law, Mildred, kept information about her husband from her, and she does some other horrible things to Becca.

We also follow Hazel, Nell, and Evie as adults as we see what their life is like now and as they try to figure out what really happened during their childhood and the secrets their mother kept.

A marvelous, heartfelt, as well as heartbreaking read with wonderful characters you will love and feel for.

You will not want to put the book down, and you will need tissues at times.

THE RIVER KNOWS YOUR NAME has intrigue and is a you-have-to-know-how-it-all-happened read and how it all turns out. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book swept me away like the eponymous river that ran through its pages. Becca, Lottie, Nell, Evie, and the rest of the characters jumped off the page. I felt like I knew them by the end and shared their losses and regrets. This book made me feel, in the best way. I loathed Mildred. Felt for Hazel, Evie, and Nell. Ached for Becca. It started slow, but kept pushing me forward in by inch to understand what happened and how it would all play out in the end. I highly recommend this book.

The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian

This haunting atmospheric southern story paints a vivid picture of the Mississippi Delta and its people. The characters are well developed; complex and nuanced with compelling backstories. Kelly Mustian created an immersive read that engaged me from start to finish. We follow Nell and her sister, Evie, who discover their mother, Hazel, is not Evie’s mother. For nearly thirty years, Nell promised to never reveal what they found. Told in dual storylines, Nell, forty-two in 1971, delves into her past to uncover buried secrets, and Becca, a struggling young mother trying to survive during the thick of the Depression in 1930s.

A story touching upon secrets, heartache, betrayal, survival, endurance, love, family, mother-daughter relationships. Enjoyed her debut book, The Girls in the Stilt House, and I enjoyed this one, as well.

Thanks to BookBrowse and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of this beautifully written book.