“I just finished ‘The River We Remember,’ by William Kent Krueger, a novel set in the late 1950s in Minnesota. The story is a wonderful portrayal of a slice of American society at that time, and features compelling accounts of acceptance and forgiveness of others but also, importantly, of self, and the things that happen to us that elicit responses and actions, the memories of which can haunt us for many years.

“This novel portrays the impact the suspicious death of a widely disliked wealthy landowner has on a small farming community set alongside a river, where the dead man’s body is found. The town’s sheriff investigates the death, an investigation that opens old wounds and sets residents against one another and raises memories of past lives that have been hidden and deeply buried for years.

“I’m a Midwesterner by birth, so Krueger’s focus on that area is appealing, but not as much as his outstanding character development and storylines. This is the third of his books that I’ve read, ‘This Tender Land’ and ‘Ordinary Grace’ being the other two, and I plan to read others. He’s an excellent contemporary author.” — JIM KANAK, Wells

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Mainers, please email to tell us about the book on your bedside table. In a paragraph or two, describe the book and be sure to tell us what drew you to it. What makes it a can’t-miss read for the rest of us? Make mud season the reading season: We want to hear what you are reading now and why. Send your selection to pgrodinsky@pressherald.com, and we may use it as a future Bedside Table.

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