I don't read enough books by male authors (and need to change that). I enjoyed this book, had a hard time getting into the grit of things at first, it felt like a lot of information/back story at first. Once I got into it though, I truly cared about Neil and the situation his life was in... caught between loving his wife who would never recover, and getting on with his life, dealing with his grief.

I think as a parent, his reaction was very relatable. We try to shelter our children from our sorrow, but as Neil's relationship with his son Chris shows, our children are more observant than we think!

I also felt the loss of control of Neil's life, so many things thrown at him at once, showing us how easily life can change on a dime. Some decisions Neil made (like how he treated his relationship with Lauren) showed the turmoil of his situation. A good read overall, and I look forward to another book from this new author! ( )

I read this book with the One Group One Facebook online book club at Facebook. It was a 4 star book for me; I reserve 5 stars for books which I think are really outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was very well-written and a good story. It is written by a man and is from a man’s point of view, which is interesting to me, for this type of book. There are a number of issues that this book deals with: loss, love, being a single father, defending oneself against an accusations by high school students, trying to find happiness, and being loyal to a beloved wife who is in a nursing home after a devastating accident. Neil, the main character has a lot to deal with in the years after his wife’s accident. I cared about everyone in this book. Even though there were a lot of things happening in this book plot-wise (there were a lot of twists and turns), I think it is more of a character-driven book. I usually race through a book reading fast, but this one I savored and read more slowly. I don’t know if I would have discovered this book on my own, but it is on my favorites list now, and I will definitely look for other books by this author, Jon Harrison. ( )

I really liked this book from the very beginning. I highly recommend it. The characters are all so relatable (not a word?) and likable. I loved Neil. I was rooting for him the whole time and I even felt really bad for him.

The synopsis says: In the lakeside resort town of Port Manitou, Michigan, dedicated teacher and running coach Neil Kazenzakis shoulders responsibilities that would break a lesser man: a tragic accident has left his wife seriously debilitated, he cares for his mother-in-law who suffers from dementia, and he’s raising his teenage son, Chris, on his own. On top of all that, he’s also secretly been seeing Lauren, his mother-in-law’s caregiver.

It goes on to say more but this says it perfectly without ruining any of the plot. I liked the suspense the story supplied. And the way it was told, made want to keep reading.

Why not 5 stars? I didn't give it 5 stars because there was one part of the book that I felt went over-the-top, like it was being written for a screenplay all of a sudden. Blah. ( )

Dynamic and exciting all at once. The tale of a "normal" family who deal with extraordinary things...and how they interact with each other whole coping. It's all about relationships, love and the things that happen to us in life. You won't be able to put it down. Take a nap because you're going to be up late reading! ( )

Jon Harrison’s debut novel, The Banks of Certain Rivers is a mixture of family drama, tragedy, humor, love and loss. One man’s heartbreaking, moving and emotional story, as it spins out of control, and in the midst of extraordinary circumstances--life changing decisions in a fragile world.

In the lakeside resort town of Port Manitou, Michigan, dedicated teacher and running coach Neil Kazenzakis is in the midst of a melt-down (he deserves it). While vacationing with his family, (Wendy –wife, Chris-son), an accident, leaving his wife seriously debilitated. He is left alone to care for his teenage son, Chris, his wife, he also has the burden of caring for his mother-in-law who suffers from dementia and to further complicate matters—he is secretly dating Lauren, his mother-in-law’s caregiver. (Some heavy stuff).

So, now life must go on in the midst of tragedy. Time does not stand still. Years later, Wendy is in long term care, and is not responsive. Carol, Wendy's mother, isn't well and she lives next door to them. While the secret relationship heats up between him and Lauren, he knows he has to find a way to tell his son. When Lauren discovers she is pregnant – it is imperative he bring the relationship out in the open.

Too add fuel to the fire, he is breaking up a fight at school, and someone videos it, making it appear as though he was involved, questioning his integrity as a teacher. It goes viral and now he is close to losing it all, as he has to prove his innocence.

In combination, his secret love affair with Lauren, and his fear of telling his son; his guilt, betrayal, and loyalty. How much can one man handle? How will he cope? As Neil fights to keep his job, his relationship with Lauren, Chris’ feelings, and the pressure of perhaps having to sell his in-laws' land to cover the bills.

With the emails, twists and turns, and slow building suspense, the novel’s voice told from Neil’s POV, allowing the reader to experience firsthand the hard choices, a caregiver, memories from the past, the turmoil of the present and the uncertainty of the future – there is much depth, and emotion from this flawed realistic character.

I listened to the audio version, narrated by Mikael Naramore and while his voice was pleasant, he was reading it more like a script than most, which sometimes threw off the impact of the overall novel; however, Jon Harrison’s The Banks of Certain Rivers is a beautiful and funny debut novel, and look forward to reading more!
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