Day 420: What the River Buries First Impressions

I haven't read many crime novels, but I kinda know what to expect based on the movies I've seen before. For some reason, I've been drawn to crime movies, but not so much crime novels. I'm a huge fan of movies like 'The Departed,' 'LA Confidential,' 'Reservoir Dogs,' and plenty others. So far, 'What the River Buries' by Rocky Hirajeta has met fulfilled those expectations pretty much to a tee, starting off strong from narrator Natalie's perspective, a troubled young woman whose father has been out of the picture for some time. She's been doing her best, but can't seem to keep up with her classes, her friends, her family, and everything else while dealing with all that grief at the same time. Her favorite spot in town is the local park, where she goes at night to sketch, reminisce about her father, and escape from all of life's hardships. While exploring the park one night for photography project, she spots something disturbing. A man in all black, burying a woman's corpse in the woods. There's no doubt about it, she's just witnessed a terrible crime. Before she escapes, she manages to snap a picture of him, and the distinctive tattoo on his neck. Now she's left with evidence of a murder, and a decision to make.

I'm excited to see how this plays out, and how Hirajeta will connect the dots between Natalie's difficult home life and the murder. It's a pretty straightforward setup, but one with a lot of potential for both inward and outward conflict, plus a bit of a whodunnit too. I'm not sure how Natalie will handle the evidence yet. I think the decisions she makes in the next couple of chapters will define her character arc for the rest of the story. It'll be interesting to see what she chooses to do.

Also, can I just say it feels really strange to write about a book when I know the author personally? This might even affect my future reviews somewhat. It adds quite a bit of complexity to the task. Like somehow I have more skin in the game now.

Thank you for reading,

Benjamin Hawley