A review by thereadingrunnner
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

5.0

"I see a boy not quite thirteen doing his best to pin down God, to corral that river and give it a form he could understand. Like so many before him, he shaped it, and reshaped it, and shaped it again, and yet it continued to defy all his logic. I would love to be able to call out to him and tell him in a kindly way that reason will do him no good, that it's pointless to rail about the difficulty of the twists in that river, and that he shouldn't worry about where the current will take him, but I confess that even after more than eighty years of living, I still struggle to understand what I know in my heart is a mystery beyond human comprehension. Perhaps the most important truth I've learned across the whole of my life is that it's only when I yield to the river and embrace the journey that I find peace." -Epilogue p.439

This quote pretty much sums it up and speaks so personally to me. Uplifting, touching, sad, powerful, frightening, revengeful, hopeful... I experienced every possible emotion while reading this. Told through Odie O'Banion's narrating mixed with his craftful art of storytelling, this book definitely ranks up there as one of my favorites. Four orphaned kids run away from an oppressive boarding school with only their determination to escape and their love for each other. They meet up with many different characters along the way who all teach them something about life and themselves. This is truly an amazing and incredible journey for both the characters and the reader. I really didn't want this book to ever end.