What the River Keeps

Now available for PREORDER. 

A reclusive biologist returns to her childhood home on the Elwha River, where she untangles her mysterious past. A new novel from the award-winning author of Sugar Birds, “an engrossing tale” (Kirkus Reviews), and Leaning on Air, “an exquisitely nuanced love story” (BookTrib).

Hildy Nybo is a successful biologist, her study of the Pacific Northwest’s wild fish both a passion and a career. But behind her professional brilliance, Hildy’s reclusive private life reflects a childhood fraught with uncertainty. Haunted by the confusion of her early years, she now records her life in detailed diaries and clings to memory-prompting keepsakes. 

Then her mother’s health fails, and Hildy accepts a job near her childhood home, joining a team of scientists who will help restore her beloved Elwha River after two century-old dams fall. There Hildy settles into a cabin on her family’s rustic resort—a place she both loves and dreads, for reasons she can’t fully explain.  

When a local artist rents an adjacent cabin for her pottery studio, Hildy resists the intrusion—until intriguing Luke Rimmer arrives to help with the cabin’s renovation. Now a few years beyond a tragedy that brought him to his knees, Luke recognizes a kindred soul in Hildy. As he earns her trust, they uncover her mysterious history, and Hildy dares to wonder if she can banish her shadows—and follow her river’s course to freedom. 

• A compelling story of forgiveness, redemption, and overcoming painful secrets that explores the beauty of the natural world
• A poignant and emotive contemporary novel perfect for fans of Delia Owens and William Kent Krueger
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs