Review: Once Upon A River, by Diane Setterfield

I’ll come right out and say it: this was a lyrical, moving treat of a novel. Written in the same style as The Essex Serpent, it’s every bit as good as Sarah Perry’s prize-winning novel, and a good deal more heart-wrenching, too.

Once Upon A River is a book where nothing is what it seems, where folklore and superstition is a part of everyday life for the people of Beckford, and no evening is complete without an evening of storytelling at The Swan. And one night a story comes to life in front of them, as a wounded man stumbles into the local pub carrying a dead girl… who then comes back to life.

After that, we’re introduced to a plethora of fully-realised characters, each of them with their own background, motivation, and reason for wanting to lay a claim on the resurrected girl. From the bereft Vaughans, who are mourning the disappearance of their daughter some two years ago, to the local nurse Rita Sunday, who suspects that there is more to this supposed ‘miracle’ than meets the eye. Setterfield makes sure to give each of these characters the time to grow and endear themselves to us: the result is a rich and multi-layered story with strands that intersect each other in ways you don’t expect.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about Once Upon A River is the pace of the book. Like the river it’s set around, the book is slow, meandering: it takes its time, and rewards the patient reader. The whole way through, Setterfield has her hand firmly on the tiller, guiding us through the story with a storyteller’s tone, making the whole thing seem like a piece of local folklore.

And it’s that feeling that starts to blur boundaries, sucking you into a time when the supernatural was an accepted part of everyday life, and you can’t tell whether the resurrection of the little girl was magic, or science. My favourite local figure was Quietly, the mythical ferryman who comes to ferry you ‘across the river’ when your time has come- or pluck you out of the river and save you when it hasn’t. Stuff like that makes the book feel more real, as though Setterfield is just recounting the past rather than writing a novel.

So, overall? This book was a treat. Full of hidden depths and dangerous currents, it’ll sweep you away just like the river. Even if you think it’s not your thing, it definitely is:  I can’t recommend it enough. Read it!