The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb Book Review

Trigger Warning: This review discusses themes of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental health struggles as explored in the book. Some readers may find these topics distressing. Please proceed with caution if you are sensitive to these subjects.

Title: The River Is Waiting
Author: Wally Lamb
Publisher: Marysue Rucci Books (Simon & Schuster)
Genre: Literary Fiction
Year of Publication: 2025
Date of Publication: May 6, 2025
Pages: 480 pages (hardcover edition)
ISBN-13: 978-1668006399

Summary of The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

The River Is Waiting follows a man named Corby Ledbetter. At the start of the book, Corby is a stay-at-home father. He used to work as a graphic artist for an advertising firm but was fired due to the company’s financial situation. He is married to a woman named Emily and they have two children, Maisie and Niko who are twins. Maisie and Niko are 25 months old at the start of the book and with only one income available to their family, Corby and Emily made the decision that Corby stays home with the children while he continues to look for a new job.

Unable to find a job in his field after a period of time, Corby struggles with anxiety and restlessness. Soon he is prescribed a medication to help him cope with his inability to sleep. He begins secretly drinking, lying and hiding his increasing use and reliance on the medication from his wife.

Corby convinces himself that he is still functional and his new addiction is not having that much of an effect on his daily life, and that once he gets a new job, everything would get back to normal.

“There was that DUI, but there were extenuating circumstances: namely that I lost my job that day. Everything will right itself once I get back to work.”— Corby’s reflections

One day, everything changes. Corby wakes up that morning, gets the twins ready and does his usual secret activities. His plan was to drop the twins off with their grandmother. His usual routine is to put Niko in the car seat first since Niko is the more restless twin but Niko was looking at some ants that were on the driveway. So he puts Maisie in her car seat and then his neighbors from across the street exchanged some pleasant greetings with him. Realizing that he forgot the bag he packed for the twins, he heads back into the house to get it. When he returns, he gets into the car and begins to backout accidentally running over Niko. The whole thing unfolds in a matter of minutes.

“…feeling embarrassed by the evidence of my growing reliance on alcohol but proud of myself for pulling off my day time drinking deception.”— Corby’s reflections

From that point, Corby’s life spirals out of control. Shortly after he is charged and convicted for the involuntary death of his toddler son while intoxicated. He is sentenced to three years imprisonment for the involuntary manslaughter, to be served at a prison called Yates Correctional Institution and that is when this story really begins.

The rest of the story follows the events that unfold after Niko’s death and the impact it has on the lives of everyone involved most especially Corby, Emily and Maisie. It’s a story about guilt, grief, the possibility of forgiveness, and how Corby adjusts to the brutal and dehumanizing environment behind bars.

“This call originates from a Connecticut Correctional facility. Press 1 now if you wish to accept this call…”— Narrator

Main Plot & Characters

• Corby (Corbin Ledbetter): He is a father whose grief, addiction, and tragic mistake completely changes his life. He used to be what most people consider the “fun” parent.
• Emily: She is Corby’s wife and the mother of Niko and Maisie. She works as a 3rd grade teacher
• Maisie Ledbetter: One of the twins and the surviving child.
• Niko Ledbetter: Maisie’s twin brother whose tragic death is the emotional catalyst of the entire novel. His loss is central to this story.
• Betsy: She is Emily’s mother. Betsy was never a fan of Corby.
• Officer Longo, Sergeant Fazio and Detective Tunisia Sparks: They were part of the team that looked into the death of Niko.
• Shawn and Linda McNally: They are Corby’s neighbors from across the street. They were witnesses to Niko’s accident. Shawn used to be a copy but is now retired.
• Dr. Corbin Ledbetter: He is Corby’s father and an esteemed professor.
• Dr. Beena Patel: She is the grief counsellor that Emily and Corby reached out to for support. She also appears in Lamb’s earlier novel I Know This Much Is True.
• Rachel Dixon: She was Corby’s lawyer
• Pug: He was Corby’s original cellmate at Yates Correctional Institution.
• Manny (Manny DellaVecchia): Another inmate at Yates. He is upbeat and caring, and later becomes Corby’s cellmate. Manny becomes a critical source of emotional support and truth for Corby.
• Lester Wiggins: An older inmate who likes to read. He was given a 50-year sentence.
• Solomon: An 18 year old boy who was brought to the prison whom Corby tries to help.
• Mrs. Fagie Millman: She is the Prison Librarian. She is kind and offers Corby books, cookies, and encouragement to paint a mural.
• Javier: Another inmate who chairs the AA meetings in prison and also works in the Library with Mrs. Millman
• Officers Piccardy and Anselmo: They work at the prison. These two prison guards are brutal and embody the institutional cruelty and injustices present in the correctional system. Piccardy is a nephew to the deputy warden.
• Aliyah Jackson: She is a counsellor at the prison.
• Dale: He was Corby’s AA sponsor before he went to prison.
• CO McGreavy: He works as a correctional officer at the prison.

Writing Style

This is a fantastic story and it so well written. It is told using a narrative style mostly from Corby’s perspective. We do hear briefly from Dr. Patel’s and Emily’s perspectives as well. The narrative wastes no time in getting the action going and keeps you thoroughly engaged throughout. You immediately feel sorry for Corby because of how quickly everything changes but you want him to be accountable at the same time.

With that said, there is a high chance that parts of the story will bring you to tears especially the prison experiences. I know I cried a couple of times while reading this book.

Lamb does an excellent job with the character building. It wasn’t just about Corby’s story. You are left thinking about many of the characters like Emily and Manny, and even those with brief appearances like Lester Wiggins and Dale. But even more remarkable is the fact that Lamb gives life to even the inanimate objects in a way that they also become story characters. For example, the Prison itself, the stone, the river, and of course the mural are all major characters in this book!

Quotes from The River Is Waiting

• “She’d mentioned before that she doesn’t like me drinking beer at night if I’m watching the kids, but she didn’t call me on it that night. Her guilt was at a satisfactory level.”— Corby’s reflections
• “Having hope is kind of like praying. Like asking God for something and hoping He’ll hear you. But if you have an expectation, it’s more like a demand than a prayer. Like you’re saying, here’s what I expect, God, so make it happen for me. See? Like you’re the one who gets to give the orders.”
• “That having hope was never going to hurt me, but having unreasonable expectations could clobber me.”— Corby’s reflecting of the words of Frank
• “You put the car in reverse and stole him from me.”— Emily
• “You’re not alone, Corby… I’m here. You’re not alone.”— Manny
• “I’m sure Emily is keeping track of my nighttime beer consumption, but I’m confident she’s unaware that I’ve started drinking the hard stuff during the day.”— Corby’s reflections
• “Day at a time, my friend. You can always drink tomorrow if you need to. Just don’t drink today.”—Dale
• “Hello, boy.”— Maisie‘s words looking at the mural and high-fiving the image of her twin.

Final Thoughts on The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

This is one of those books that you read and you just know that you would never forget the story itself and some of the characters. Lamb takes readers into the heart of unimaginable tragedy, and shows us how one moment of weakness can alter countless lives.

The novel is both heartbreaking and compassionate. It will force you to sit with the grief and guilt the characters are experiencing and question whether forgiveness is ever truly possible. There are moments where the narrative is unflinching in its portrayal of violence, addiction, and mental health struggles, so as a reader you must consider how these topics affect you personally.

Yet, what makes The River Is Waiting remarkable is how it balances despair with the possibility of hope. The story is not only about sorrow, but also about moments of kindness and connections people make even in the darkest places. Long after finishing, you will carry Corby’s journey, Emily’s pain, and Maisie’s innocence with you.

Rating

Have you read The River Is Waiting? What moved you most about Corby’s journey? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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