A River Runs Through It - Norman Maclean

“So it is… that we can seldom help anybody.  Either we don’t know what part to give or maybe we don’t like to give any part of ourselves.  Then, more often than not, the part that is needed is not wanted.  And even more often, we do not have the part that is needed.  It is like the auto-supply shop over town where they always say, ‘Sorry, we are just out of that part.”

-        Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It is a masterful piece of art.  It is not a long novel, however there is a lot packed into the pages.  The prose is poetic and although you can easily read through this novel cover to cover in one sitting, there is a lot said, “between the lines”.  I believe this is one of those books that needs to be read and reread on several occasions to truly appreciate the impact of the messages.  Being a fly fisherman myself, I especially enjoyed the book because it does a great job of describing the art of fly fishing and stirs my emotions about the connection I have with nature when I participate in the sport.  Apart from the fly-fishing Maclean does a superb job of capturing the emotions of someone who wants to help someone they love, the guilt associated with not being able to figure out what to do, and the longing for the connection in something that is at the same time beautiful and tragic.