Death of a River Guide by: Richard Flanagan
review by: Jill Brown '04
In today's world, it is important to learn about and experience many different cultures. Literature is a particularly easy medium in which to explore the reaches of the earth, the wilderness of Australia, and the wild and deadly Franklin River.Death of a River Guide is an unusual novel due to its non-linear format and its magical-vision quality. If you are looking for a happy ending, the first few pages of the novel are a warning that the story is a journey of a dying man, Aljaz, trapped under a fiercely flowing river; "Let me also say that I am not even surprised to be here drowning. Maybe I was always drowning" (12-13). Nevertheless, Flanagan develops a creative story through visions given to Aljaz that intertwine and let Aljaz see his family history before his own eyes.
At times Aljaz's story can be confusing to follow. One moment he has visions of his great-grandfather as a younger man and the next moment he sees himself leading a river tour down an unpredictable river. His visions are given in great detail and the question arises as to whether Aljaz has control over the images he sees. Would a person wish to see their entire family history, learning the good with the bad? Through all the blurry connections, Flanagan redeems himself in the end with picturesque unification between all of the familial characters, making the tough reading worthwhile.
Another beautiful aspect of Flanagan's writing is the way he describes nature. "Then, breaking forth from a bizarre low angle, a ray of light shining up the gorge illuminating a world otherwise cast in darkness by the black rain clouds above" (14). The world on the Franklin River is a tumultuous struggle of ever-changing weather, which directly impacts the force of the river and the mood of the travelers.
Overall, Death of a River Guide is an interesting introduction into "Fiction Down Under." Simply by reading this novel the reader becomes familiarized with new lingo, new landscapes and a new way of life, all through the eyes of a drowning man.