River Boy
Encyclopedia
River Boy is a young adult novel by Tim Bowler
, published in 1997. It is the story of a teenage girl facing the prospect of bereavement. River Boy was awarded the 1997 Carnegie Medal
, and the 1999 Angus Book Award
.
While exploring the valley, Jess feels a strange presence and sees a mysterious boy in the river, now there, now gone. When she eventually meets the boy, he gives her some surprising advice that leads to the painting being finished against everyone's expectations. In return, he challenges her to join him in swimming down the river from the source to the sea, over forty miles. Jess refuses, saying she must stay with her grandfather, and watches him dive from the waterfall into the river. Soon after, hearing about her grandfather as a boy, she has a sudden revelation, and she swims after the boy to the mouth of the river, where he is waiting for her before finally disappearing. Jess then learns that her grandfather has died peacefully, leaving her his painting of the 'River Boy', which she now realizes is both a landscape and a portrait of the boy she met – a self-portrait.
described the novel as "a poem, as well as a very moving novel", saying that "A river is a natural metaphor for life and death and Tim Bowler uses it to wonderful effect in this lovely simple story."
Reviews in the national newspapers praised the novel's atmosphere and subject matter:
"River Boy is strong on mood and atmosphere. It deals with death unpretentiously and unsentimentally, investigating the final stages with dignity and calm." The Guardian
"A lyrical story of bereavement that manages not to be effete thanks to credible and courageous characters and a plot that involves mystery and tension." The Sunday Times
"The atmosphere is haunting, the sense of the power beyond ourselves, strong and silent, and the mystery of the natural world, woodlands and airy hills and sliding, glittering water are beautifully suggested, as is the strength - oh, subject most rare - of familial love." The Spectator
In announcing the award of the 1997 Carnegie Medal
, the judges said: "This extremely fine novel was a clear winner... River Boy has all the hallmarks of a classic - it deepens with re-reading, and takes the reader on a journey. You are not the same person at the end of this book".
Tim Bowler
Tim Bowler is the author of twenty books for children, teenagers and young adults. He has won 15 awards, including the Carnegie Medal, the pre-eminent UK award for children's literature, for his novel River Boy....
, published in 1997. It is the story of a teenage girl facing the prospect of bereavement. River Boy was awarded the 1997 Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
, and the 1999 Angus Book Award
Angus Book Award
The Angus Book Award is a literary award for UK authors of teenage fiction. It is awarded by Angus Council in Scotland. The award is decided by the votes of the secondary schools in Angus. The pupils host the awards every year. The ceremony is hosted by a different school each year...
.
Plot summary
Fifteen-year-old Jess, a dedicated swimmer, dotes on her grandfather, a fiercely independent and cantankerous artist. When he falls ill, he insists on returning to the isolated valley where he lived as a child to finish his last painting, a haunting landscape called 'River Boy'. Jess is desperately trying to cope with the knowledge that her grandfather is dying, and she does her best to help him finish the painting that is so important to him.While exploring the valley, Jess feels a strange presence and sees a mysterious boy in the river, now there, now gone. When she eventually meets the boy, he gives her some surprising advice that leads to the painting being finished against everyone's expectations. In return, he challenges her to join him in swimming down the river from the source to the sea, over forty miles. Jess refuses, saying she must stay with her grandfather, and watches him dive from the waterfall into the river. Soon after, hearing about her grandfather as a boy, she has a sudden revelation, and she swims after the boy to the mouth of the river, where he is waiting for her before finally disappearing. Jess then learns that her grandfather has died peacefully, leaving her his painting of the 'River Boy', which she now realizes is both a landscape and a portrait of the boy she met – a self-portrait.
Characters
- Jessica (Jess), a fifteen-year-old swimmer
- Grandpa, an artist at the end of his life
- Dad, his son, Jess's father
- Mum, Jess's mother
- Alfred, a garrulous neighbour who knew "Grandpa" as a boy
- The river boy
Literary significance and reception
Susan CooperSusan Cooper
Susan Mary Cooper is an English author best known for The Dark Is Rising, an award-winning five-volume saga set in and around England and Wales. The books incorporate traditional British mythology, such as Arthurian and other Welsh elements with original material ; these books were adapted into a...
described the novel as "a poem, as well as a very moving novel", saying that "A river is a natural metaphor for life and death and Tim Bowler uses it to wonderful effect in this lovely simple story."
Reviews in the national newspapers praised the novel's atmosphere and subject matter:
"River Boy is strong on mood and atmosphere. It deals with death unpretentiously and unsentimentally, investigating the final stages with dignity and calm." The Guardian
"A lyrical story of bereavement that manages not to be effete thanks to credible and courageous characters and a plot that involves mystery and tension." The Sunday Times
"The atmosphere is haunting, the sense of the power beyond ourselves, strong and silent, and the mystery of the natural world, woodlands and airy hills and sliding, glittering water are beautifully suggested, as is the strength - oh, subject most rare - of familial love." The Spectator
In announcing the award of the 1997 Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
, the judges said: "This extremely fine novel was a clear winner... River Boy has all the hallmarks of a classic - it deepens with re-reading, and takes the reader on a journey. You are not the same person at the end of this book".