Many thanks to my partners @simon.audio and @libro.fm for this #gifted audiobook.  

 

Three convicts and an ex priest.  A flood of historic proportions.  A levee with the potential for cataclysmic failure.  When it comes to man versus nature, which will prevail?

 

There is no one that captures the power and presence of the Mississippi River like Krueger.  After sailing down its current with those unforgettable vagabonds in This Tender Land, I knew Krueger had painted a picture of that river that would always stick with me.  

 

And in this newest look at the mighty Mississippi, we find another adventure.  Yet this time, the river finds itself in opposition to man as it forces a battle for power.  Nature verses man.  And while both have potential for dominance, it might be the essence at each’s very core that proves most surprising. 

This story’s roots began some 40 odd years ago.  Inspired by the historic 1927 Mississippi flood and Faulkner’s cynical short story titled “The Old Man,”  Krueger scratched out his own version. Years later, he dusted off the long set aside story and reworked it.  

 

But it wasn’t until the pandemic, four decades removed from his original, when new inspiration struck and Krueger created this new adventure.  One more hopeful than that of its inspiration or previous iterations.  

 

Krueger’s conundrum between man and the natural world delves into deeper themes and maintains his quintessential charm even in this shortened format.  

 

J.D. Jackson narrates this audio novella.  It’s obvious from the first notes of this story that Jackson has well-honed his craft.  His distinct, gravelly voice drew me in and kept me engaged through the very end.