So Brave, Young and Handsome - Enger

Stacy allerted me to a new book by the author of Peace Like a River. I found it on the HotPicks list at our library and brought it home eager to dive in. Within a few days I set it back down again remarkably disappointed. Remembering Peace Like a River as a fantastic novel, I returned to the library to return So Brave and checked out Peace once again. Three days later, I am remember why I loved Peace so very much and wondering how on earth did Enger follow up a novel like this one with So Brave?

While I highly recommend Peace Like a River to anyone who hasn't read it, and even to those who have, trust me, it's as great the second and third time as the first, I equally suggest restraint for those rushing out to buy So Brave. Check it out of the library first. Save your money.

So Brave tells the story of a writer, who by strange circumstances ends up on a journey to Mexico with an outlaw of sorts. Neither character was profoundly interesting to me. Their partnership was a bizarre arrangement at best and I never felt compelled enough to understand the purpose of the journey to begin with. It was a slow moving tale the likes of which even the wonderful story telling voice of Enger could not redeem.

But again, even a lousy second novel cannot diminish the wonderful tale Enger created in Peace Like a River. I'm not sure when I sold and gave away my books how it slipped through the cracks as I don't own Peace any longer, but I'll cherish my days of borrowing it from the library.

I might even persuade LM to give it a read. I suspect he might enjoy it, too.