The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Release Date: April 1sr, 2025
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Pages: 432
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: Mild 🌶️
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Release Date: April 1sr, 2025
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Pages: 432
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: Mild 🌶️
This novel unfolds through dual perspectives, offering an interwoven generational narrative that spans decades. Becca’s story, set in the 1930s, follows her harrowing journey as a young housewife whose husband vanishes without warning. Suddenly widowed, she struggles to provide for her daughter, facing daunting obstacles in her fight for survival and independence. Becca is resilient as she navigates the perilous realities of the time, finding a job, caring for her daughter and her rights as a mother and a woman.
Decades later, Nell and her sister Ivie stumble upon a birth certificate that suggests Ivie’s mother was someone else entirely. As an adult, Nell becomes determined to untangle the mystery of their family’s past, revealing long-held secrets that have shaped their lives.
Set in the American South, the novel is rich with vivid descriptions of rundown towns and the Mississippi River. I enjoyed the scenic descriptions but I found myself wishing for a faster pace—less scene-setting and more immediate engagement with the core plot. The story truly gains momentum about two-thirds of the way in, when the connections between characters become clearer. While I initially struggled to keep track of the names across timelines, the merging narratives made it easier to distinguish each character’s role in the story.
I really enjoyed the last half of the novel as the tension built and the secrets started to be revealed and people’s intentions and motives became clear. I sympathized with Becca’s drive to provide for her child and the feeling helpless when she couldn’t. I didn’t expect to feel as much as I did for Hazel until the reasons behind her guarded nature became clear. Hazel was dealt unexpected situation and she did her best.
Decades later, Nell and her sister Ivie stumble upon a birth certificate that suggests Ivie’s mother was someone else entirely. As an adult, Nell becomes determined to untangle the mystery of their family’s past, revealing long-held secrets that have shaped their lives.
Set in the American South, the novel is rich with vivid descriptions of rundown towns and the Mississippi River. I enjoyed the scenic descriptions but I found myself wishing for a faster pace—less scene-setting and more immediate engagement with the core plot. The story truly gains momentum about two-thirds of the way in, when the connections between characters become clearer. While I initially struggled to keep track of the names across timelines, the merging narratives made it easier to distinguish each character’s role in the story.
I really enjoyed the last half of the novel as the tension built and the secrets started to be revealed and people’s intentions and motives became clear. I sympathized with Becca’s drive to provide for her child and the feeling helpless when she couldn’t. I didn’t expect to feel as much as I did for Hazel until the reasons behind her guarded nature became clear. Hazel was dealt unexpected situation and she did her best.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
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