Book Review- Between Me and the River

Between Me and the River, by Carrie Host

I blogged about the books sitting on my shelf recently.  This is the first book I’ve finished and reviewed.

Between Me and the River, by Carrie Host

This amazing memoir is one of the first non-fiction books published by Harlequin, the publisher that is well-known for churning out steamy romance novels.  I applaud the publisher for recognizing the power and beauty in this story.

I finished this book several days ago and am still reeling from the raw force of this understated memoir.  Ms. Host was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer, a “cockroach of cancers” that doesn’t respond to chemotherapy and can only be surgically removed.  Even then, the cancer will ultimately return.  It’s a cancer that has no happy ending.  I didn’t know this fact going into the book, but as I read further and further, I was comforted to remember that this book is a MEMOIR, which means that Ms. Host lived to tell the tale. 

This is a book about a woman who is diagnosed with cancer.  But it’s much, much more.  It’s a story that spans several years of her dealing with the crushing blows of cancer, surgery, and living the details between those moments.  It’s a story of a woman who wonders about the meaning of life and who ultimately answers it. 

Time and again, she feels like the “River” is claiming her, sweeping her away from her stable life, the husband she loves and the three children she adores above all else.  She learns to swim the emotional current that often appears as black as the unlit sky, and how to get out of it again.  She learns to let go of some things, and to grasp others with an iron grip.  It’s a story of allowing oneself to experience love in all its ferociousness, tenderness, and beauty.

I cried through so many parts of this book.  My emotions were shredded by the incredible honesty Ms. Host expressed.  She doesn’t hide behind irony or cynical humor.  She opens the door to her heart and invites the reader to float with her through the emotional “River”; the vast undercurrents, the rocks that lie beneath, the rapids and shallows that threaten to pull you under at every blind turn.  It’s a ride into the unknown that is utterly worth taking.

I absolutely, 100% recommend this book to anyone who is willing to look beyond the confines of the physical into the deep abyss of the emotional, spiritual, and unknown landscapes that have yet to be explored.  Ms. Host faces her certain death by carcinoid cancer by continuing to live each moment, each month, as if it’s her last.  I feel challenged by her honesty and truth to see if I can live with the same recognition of the gifts and love that I have.

Rating:  Excellent