To the River by Vikki Wakefield

Publisher's Synopsis

The Kelly family has always been trouble. When a fire in a remote caravan community kills nine people, including 17-year-old Sabine Kelly’s mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody and disappears. Recently made redundant from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weidermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river—now, twelve years after the ‘Caravan Murders’, she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year.

Rachel’s ambition lights the fuse leading to a brutal chain of events, and the web Sabine weaves will force Rachel to question everything she believes.

To the River is an emotionally charged story of suspense that recounts a crime that occurred over a decade earlier. It’s a story of a fugitive from the law who has finally decided it’s time to have her name cleared and the way she’s chosen to do it is measured but still very risky. 

After fleeing from the law, accused of starting a fire in a caravan park that killed 9 people, Sabine Kelly meets Rachel, a freelance journalist who wants to write the story of her life on the run. It’s been 12 years since the fateful night in which her mother and sister perished in the fire and she’s been in hiding for all that time, living on an old houseboat with her dog Blue for company. 

After all this time she decides she wants her story to be heard. She knows that coming out of hiding is a huge risk but firmly believes it’s time for the truth to be heard even though it could mean risking her life.

The story Sabine tells is one of a life growing up with a drug dependent mother who has allowed abusive men into her and her children’s lives. Although there were numerous hardships in the life she led, surely it didn’t lead to her snapping and setting her family’s caravan on fire, did it?

This is quite a sedately paced story that, early on, settles in to recount the events from 12 years ago while Sabine is being very careful about who she talks to, ensuring she’s not detected by people who may recognise her.

It’s clear that both of the main characters are dealing with difficult pasts and are struggling to find their place in the world. This struggle is made apparent by the tone of the novel that is edged by a sense of despair and, at times, hopelessness. Rachel’s ordered life of playing strictly by the rules is seriously challenged through Sabine’s tendency to take risks, regardless of the fact that those risks are borne from necessity.

We have a keen insight into Sabine’s mindset here:

“Ryan once asked her whether, if she could do things over, she would still run. The truth is she would run faster, further, sooner. She doesn’t regret what she did, and that must be proof she’s a bad person. All her life people have either promised to help her but let her down, or tried to help but failed. No one can help. No one can protect her. She is alone. She has always been alone.”

The story is told from the perspectives of Sabine and Rachel through alternating chapters that follow their progress. When Sabine relates the events of her past to Rachel we also see a chapter devoted to the events of 12 years previous. It’s an effective writing style that takes us into the mind of each character, drawing us closer to both and ensuring we get a keen insight into their motivations as well as their vulnerabilities.

This appears to be a straightforward mystery that’s complicated by the question as to how reliable the account is. We’re learning about the night of the fire from Sabine, the person who was the person suspected with starting it. Her account differs radically, yet plausibly from the police account.

I like the way we get just a hinted at version of the true events of the night of the life altering fire when Sabine’s story is slowly drawn out. Plus, it’s clear that there’s someone out there who’s desperate to keep the story from coming out, thus the source of the novel’s suspense.

My interest was held firmly by Sabine’s steadfast nature and her bravery and the gradual change that came over Rachel was important as To the River developed. My only minor complaint being over the loss of momentum that occurred midway through the story where things grew a little confusing and difficult to follow.

To the River is a strong psychological suspense novel that readers who love reading about strong characters who are prepared to fight for their truth to be heard will appreciate.