THE RIVER BETWEEN US

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Peck, Richard. 2003. The River Between Us. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 9780803727359

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
After a brief but delightful framing device involving a 100-mile car trip in 1916, the story jumps back even further, to the beginning of the Civil War and a little one-horse town on the banks of the Mississippi, Grand Tower. The first half of the story introduces the Pruitt family and their strange new boarders. Tilly Pruitt tells the story of her 16-year-old twin Noah, itching to join the war, her mother, who doesn't know how to prevent it, and her younger sister Cass, whose psychic visions have made her sickly. Also, into their parochial lives come two mysterious refugees from New Orleans, which are the glamorous and ethereal Delphine, and Calinda, who may or may not be her slave. As the war cranks up in the background, and the town is split by partisan feelings, the Pruitt's lives are turned upside down by their fascinating visitors. The tale takes a tragic turn and more secrets are revealed. Before Howard and his family return home, he learns from his father a surprise about his ancestry.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Peck uses the style of a first person narrative, through the voice of Tilly Pruitt, to tell the story of the Pruitt family and the “invasion” of Southerners Delphine and Calinda. When reading the dialogue of Delphine and Calinda, the reader will hear the dialect of 19th century New Orleans. The characters grow and become lifelike through their experiences and the background events. He provides an emotional side to the characters that allows the readers to care about them. Peck describes the characters with style and flair; Cass was, “not much more than breath and britches,” and grandma Tilly had, “a tiny face wrinkled like a walnut.” Peck captures the speech patterns of the time and place, “if we got nekkid and washed ourselves in the wintertime, we’d catch a chill that would carry us off,” while carefully avoiding stereotyping. Peck’s inclusion of a strong female in Delphine causes controversy in Grand Tower but inspires growth in Tilly and her mother. Peck describes Grand Tower, Devil’s Backbone, and Tower Rock with vigilant precision without loosing literary strength, “they were caught in the grip of this place --- they felt the weight of its history, and mystery.” The themes of racism and war provide relevant topics that today’s children can relate too. The backdrop of the Civil War and Peck’s descriptions make the events of the story very believable. By focusing on the theme that, over time and familiarity, people change who you initially think they may be, provides the reader with the knowledge that people should not hate others, especially if they have not bothered to get to know those they dislike. The last few pages of the book denote the extensive research Richard Peck completed to add realistic historical facts to the story. This novel will appeal to older age students and up.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
* From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-This historical novel set at the beginning of the Civil War actually opens in 1916, as 15-year-old Howard Leland Hutchings recounts his trip in a Model T to visit his father's childhood home in Grand Tower, IL. When he and his younger brothers meet the four elderly people who raised their father, the novel shifts to 1861, and the narrator shifts to 15-year-old Tilly Pruitt, the boys' grandmother. When a steamboat from New Orleans brings two mysterious young ladies, Mama offers them room and board, and the Pruitts' lives are forever changed. Fair and beautiful Delphine Duval, with her fancy dresses and high-society ways, fascinates the family. And what of Calinda, the darker-skinned young woman? Could she be Delphine's slave? On the eve of his 16th birthday, Tilly's twin brother, Noah, leaves to join the Union troops at Camp Defiance and Mama, distraught, sends Tilly and Delphine to bring him home. It is here that Tilly learns of Delphine's heritage. She is a quadroon, part of the colored family of a rich white man. Her mother sent her daughters away from New Orleans, hoping Delphine can pass for white. The novel ends with a return to 1916 and Howard's finding out his father's true parentage. In this thoroughly researched novel, Peck masterfully describes the female Civil War experience, the subtle and not-too-subtle ways the country was changing, and the split in loyalty that separated towns and even families. Although the book deals with some weighty themes, it is not without humor. A scene involving strapping on a corset is worthy of Grandma Dowdel herself.
Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
*Booklist
Gr. 7-12. At the start of the Civil War two mysterious young women get off a boat in a small town in southern Illinois, and 15-year-old Tilly Pruitt's mother takes them in. Who are they? Is the darker-complexioned woman the other woman's slave? Tilly's twin brother, Noah, falls in love with one of them--rich, stylish, worldly Delphine, who shows Tilly a world of possibilities beyond her home. When Noah runs away to war, Tilly and Delphine go after him, find him in the horror of an army tent hospital, and bring him back; but their world is changed forever. Peck's spare writing has never been more eloquent than in this powerful mystery in which personal secrets drive the plot and reveal the history. True to Tilly's first-person narrative, each sentence is a scrappy, melancholy, wry evocation of character, time, and place, and only the character of Delphine's companion, Calinda, comes close to stereotype. A final historical note and a framing device--a grandson writing 50 years after the story takes place--make the reading even better, the revelations more astonishing. It's a riveting story that shows racism everywhere and young people facing war, not sure what side to be on or why. For companion books, see "Civil War--An Update" in the September 2003 issue of Book Links . Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
*Publishers Weekly
Without compromising his superb comedic timing and vibrant portrayals of country folk, Peck (A Long Way from Chicago; A Year Down Yonder) reaches new depth with this Civil War-era novel. Structured as a framed story, the book begins in 1916, as 15-year-old Howard Leland Hutchings travels from St. Louis with his father and young twin brothers to visit their Grandma Tilly, a lifelong resident of Grand Tower, situated on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois. The narrative then shifts to the dawning of the Civil War, as Howard's grandmother recounts to him the family's history. A then-15-year-old Tilly brings images of a divided state and country to life as she tells of the arrival of a Southern belle, Delphine, traveling by ship with the woman they presume to be her slave, Calinda, in April 1861. Delphine causes a stir in town with her fancy airs and extraordinary sense of fashion. Acting more charitably than most of her neighbors, Tilly's mother opens her home to the stranded New Orleans natives. Peck crafts his characters impeccably and threads together their fates in surprising ways that not only shed light on them but also on the complicated events and conflicts in America at that time. Tilly's younger sister, Cass, often has "visions" of the past but then begins to see images from the future as well ("Boys, blown apart, blue and gray"). Her ability draws her to Calinda, who shares a similar gift. Tilly is in awe of both guests ("I didn't know what to make of that great world she come from, but she made me want more in my small one"), and her twin brother, Noah, becomes smitten with Delphine. Although Delphine initially comes across as a Blanche Dubois type, her strength amazes and inspires everyone when the war begins to take its toll. Even the twins' mother blossoms from Delphine's proximity ("She put some starch in my spine," Tilly's mother says). These relationships cement and then reverberate throughout the novel. A showboat's arrival on the Mississippi, and Tilly and Delphine's trip to the battlefront in search of Noah, occasion further revelations about Delphine and Calinda's background as well as fascinating details of the complex New Orleans society. Through Tilly's conversational narrative, the author also introduces the significance of Bull Run and the Battle of Belmont. Without graphic description, Peck does not shy away from the horrors of war, nor how it divided the families and friends of Grand Tower.Peck's finely tuned writing makes plausible the ways in which these characters come together, putting their human concerns ahead of their political interest. Readers will find themselves turning back to the beginning of the novel to uncover how seamlessly he has laid the foundation for the connections between people and across generations. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
*Publishers Weekly
"The author crafts his characters impeccably and threads together their fates in surprising ways that shed light on the complicated events of the Civil War."
*Kirkus Reviews
“Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history. A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise.”

5. CONNECTIONS:
* The students to write a response to the novel.
* Students create a timeline of historical dates from the novel, such as Lincoln’s Inauguration, the Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Belmont and the attack on Fort Sumter.
*Other historical fiction novels about the Civil War:
Olmstead, Robert. Coal Black Horse. ISBN 9781565125216
Reeder, Carolyn. Shades of Gray. ISBN 9780689826962
Wells, Rosemary. Red Moon at Sharpsburg. ISBN 9780670036387