THE RIVERMAN is a young adult tale but it starts with a sad
story of a boy accidentally drowning; the protagonist does
not realise until he is older what he had seen. By then he
doesn't want to tell anyone, but the incident haunts him.
Alastair Cleary gets on with life, but a neighbouring girl,
Fiona Loomis, tells him that a malevolent spirit called THE
RIVERMAN is stealing the souls of children... from a
strange world reached through her basement. Is she off her
head? Is she lying to gain attention? Or could she be
telling the truth?
The mood is chilling and I found the story hard to get
into. Fiona's version of events is told in third-party
memoir form as the twelve-year-old girl expects Alastair to
record everything. She talks of bandicoots and flying
squirrels through the portal, of being able to change life
there and stay for weeks but coming back as though no time
had elapsed. At the same time the girl describes a cavern
that reeks of menace and icicles falling like deadly
spears. Alastair looks into some of the children she names
and finds that kids have been disappearing. Since he can't
believe Fiona's fantastical tales, his logical conclusion
is that Fiona knows a serial killer or kidnapper and is
afraid to betray him. Who is right, and how can he find out
the truth?
Alastair comes across as passive, getting caught off guard,
having to wait until after school to ask more questions,
letting the wilful girl set the agenda. Even after a local
disappearance he just decides that nobody will believe him
and goes to hang out with another boy from school.
Aaron Starmer says that this book is for 'all the muddy
kids who grew up and ran wild on Cleveland Boulevard and
Brookside. This is a novel about us.' This may be a fine
depiction of how it felt to be twelve in his home town, but
given that young adult books are often read by children
younger than the age group described, I would advise
parental caution with THE RIVERMAN. The theme and mood
might be fine for older teens who enjoy a dark fantasy.
Alistair Cleary is the kid who everyone trusts. Fiona Loomis
is not the typical girl next door. Alistair hasn't really
thought of her since they were little kids until she shows
up at his doorstep with a proposition: she wants him to
write her biography. What begins as an odd vanity project
gradually turns into a frightening glimpse into the mind of
a potentially troubled girl. Fiona says that in her
basement, there’s a portal that leads to a magical world
where a creature called the Riverman is stealing the souls
of children. And Fiona’s soul could be next. If Fiona really
believes what she’s saying, Alistair fears she may be crazy.
But if it’s true, her life could be at risk. In this novel
from Aaron Starmer, it’s up to Alistair to separate fact
from fiction, fantasy from reality.
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