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Peace Like a River
Peace Like a River, the latest novel from acclaimed Southern writer Scott Gould, weaves a lyrical and heartwarming tale of fathers, sons, and grandfathers, and the intricate bonds that define them. Sixty-something Elwin McClennon returns to the hometown in Lowcountry South Carolina— and the dying father— he fled fifteen years before. Accompanied by Thom, his odd and precocious thirteen-year-old son, Elwin embarks on a journey to reconcile with his father, and their complicated pasts, along the banks of the syrup-slow Black River. A captivating exploration of forgiveness, redemption, and the enduring bonds of family, Peace Like a River invites readers into a world where love and loss intersect with the healing power of nature and introspection.
- GenresFiction
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2025
14 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Scott Gould
6 books53 followersScott Gould is the author of six books, including The Hammerhead Chronicles, winner of the Eric Hoffer Award for Fiction, and Things That Crash, Things That Fly, which won a 2022 Memoir Prize for Books. His other honors include a Next Generation Indie Book Award, an IPPY Award for Fiction, the Larry Brown Short Story Award and the S.C. Arts Commission Artist Fellowship in Prose. His work has appeared in a number of publications, including Kenyon Review, Black Warrior Review, Pangyrus, Crazyhorse, Pithead Chapel, Garden & Gun, and New Stories from the South, among others. His new novel, Peace Like a River, is forthcoming in August 2025 from Regal House Publishing. He lives in Sans Souci, South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 30, 2025
It’s clear that Elwin McClennon is not much of a father to his thirteen year old son Thom who was conceived on a one night stand with a woman twenty five years younger. He sees Thom every third weekend and two weeks in the summer. Thom is “on the spectrum”and Elwin doesn’t seem to know very much about his son as communication between the two is lacking to say the least. Elwin has been estranged from his own father for years for reasons we don’t fully know at first. When he gets word that his father is dying , Elwin goes home taking Thom with him.
This is a story of fathers and sons, broken relationships that need mending. It’s about a man who is in desperate need of reconciliation with a trauma in past. The story then develops into a dramatic week of danger on The Black River, the emergence of the past trauma. However, that is tempered by unexpected touching connections between fathers and sons, a grandfather and the grandson he has just met , and the sweetness of a young boy’s first love.
I received a copy of this book from Regal House Publishing through Edelweiss.
This is a story of fathers and sons, broken relationships that need mending. It’s about a man who is in desperate need of reconciliation with a trauma in past. The story then develops into a dramatic week of danger on The Black River, the emergence of the past trauma. However, that is tempered by unexpected touching connections between fathers and sons, a grandfather and the grandson he has just met , and the sweetness of a young boy’s first love.
I received a copy of this book from Regal House Publishing through Edelweiss.
June 13, 2025
Once again, Scott Gould opens up contemporary life with wit, insight, humor, and wisdom. This "coming of age" novel for a noncustodial father and his 13 year old " on the spectrum" son takes us to the depths of the Low Country South and its hardscrabble life and uncomfortable dysfunctions, but with the self-aware satire of George Singleton and the river wisdom of Norman Maclean (A River Runs Through It). I loved every one of these odd and lonesome characters. This is a father and son and grandfather story that made me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time, and made me understand that it's never to late to claim your past and whatever family might show up in your life.
February 3, 2026
I’d never heard of Scott Gould until he was a featured speaker at my writers’ club recently, where he spoke about weaving real life into fiction. During his lecture, he read the opening pages of Peace Like a River, and I thought it sounded promising.
From the outset, Gould establishes a breezy, conversational, lightly humorous tone. As the story moves along, it seems likely that the basic idea driving the plot has something to do with the need to reconcile one’s past hurts, traumas, whatever, in order to find some interior peace.
The novel’s narrator and protagonist is Elwin McClennon, whose off-the-cuff observations quickly place the reader inside his head. Elwin is a sixty-something white guy, a South Carolinian with joint custody of his thirteen-year-old son, Thom, the result of a fling with Roma (“after the city, not the tomato”), a younger woman with whom he has long had minimal contact. Early on, Elwin learns that his estranged father is seriously ill. Prompted by his father’s sweetheart, Elwin decides to visit him, bringing Thom along, a teen who is “on the spectrum” and has never met his grandfather.
The early chapters of the novel mostly focus on the relationship between Elwin and Thom, and I was briefly amused by their rapport before I began to find it annoying. Thom insists on calling his father by his first name, and he numbers Elwin’s oft-repeated stories to keep track of them. He is literal, blunt, and frequently sounds wiser than his years, though socially unfiltered and not always believable. By the novel’s back half, he has largely faded into the background, only to reemerge as a featured character near the end.
Elwin himself comes across as someone drifting through life, reacting rather than reflecting. His thoughts, which are often surface-level, move easily between the present moment, his parenting, his romantic missteps, and the various individuals who cross his path. This loose, observational style works well enough at first, but for me, the novel began to lose momentum not long after Elwin and Thom arrive at the Old Man’s house along the Black River.
At that point, I found the characters increasingly grating and the plot progression tedious. I had expected the strained relationship between Elwin and his father to anchor the story, but the way it unfolds feels rushed and ultimately inconsequential. Once that relationship can no longer evolve directly, the novel shifts into a retrospective mode, with Elwin piecing together his father’s life while the reader is repeatedly reminded of Elwin’s own past, particularly the loss of a childhood friend—a tragedy invoked again and again until Elwin can finally move past it.
In theory, a novel’s progression should deepen both character and theme. In practice, I found that the writing rarely rose to that level. Elwin’s interior monologue lacks the depth or insight needed to sustain interest over the long haul. He is not especially reflective or philosophically inclined until, in the last chapter, he does finally offer some insights about what life has taught him.
For my tastes, two of the novel’s biggest missteps involve a couple of chance misfortunes that feel ill-considered and that zip past opportunities to explore something deeper and more emotionally engaging. These include the underdeveloped father–son relationship between Elwin and the Old Man, and the downriver boat trip during which Elwin is meant to dispose of his father’s ashes according to his wishes. Gould chooses each time to steer the story in an unexpected direction that I wouldn't have imagined, and neither works to the story's advantage.
In the meantime, there are frequent attempts at humor, but most land as mildly amusing at best. One character, Ruby, is a mortician-realtor eager to discuss both funeral logistics and real estate opportunities. She is clearly intended as comic relief, but I’m not convinced she adds anything essential to the story, as is also true of the stray cat Willy Nelson, Lily (the girl who works at the hotel), or even Linda, the Old Man’s main squeeze.
By the back third of the novel, my resistance to the characters eased somewhat, but I remained underwhelmed by the overall experience. The dialogue seldom crackles, the character development feels thin, and the story’s emotional arc isn’t especially satisfying. At 208 pages, the book seems stretched beyond what its material can comfortably support.
Gould is not the least bit interested in writing a page-turner, and I’m fine with that. Peace Like a River is clearly aiming for something quieter and perhaps reflective. The problem is that the writing rarely rises above proficient, so the lack of plot momentum isn’t offset by exceptional prose or anything else. The result is an okay story told in an okay way, a modest, gently amusing read that feels somewhat bland, though it will likely resonate with some readers.
From the outset, Gould establishes a breezy, conversational, lightly humorous tone. As the story moves along, it seems likely that the basic idea driving the plot has something to do with the need to reconcile one’s past hurts, traumas, whatever, in order to find some interior peace.
The novel’s narrator and protagonist is Elwin McClennon, whose off-the-cuff observations quickly place the reader inside his head. Elwin is a sixty-something white guy, a South Carolinian with joint custody of his thirteen-year-old son, Thom, the result of a fling with Roma (“after the city, not the tomato”), a younger woman with whom he has long had minimal contact. Early on, Elwin learns that his estranged father is seriously ill. Prompted by his father’s sweetheart, Elwin decides to visit him, bringing Thom along, a teen who is “on the spectrum” and has never met his grandfather.
The early chapters of the novel mostly focus on the relationship between Elwin and Thom, and I was briefly amused by their rapport before I began to find it annoying. Thom insists on calling his father by his first name, and he numbers Elwin’s oft-repeated stories to keep track of them. He is literal, blunt, and frequently sounds wiser than his years, though socially unfiltered and not always believable. By the novel’s back half, he has largely faded into the background, only to reemerge as a featured character near the end.
Elwin himself comes across as someone drifting through life, reacting rather than reflecting. His thoughts, which are often surface-level, move easily between the present moment, his parenting, his romantic missteps, and the various individuals who cross his path. This loose, observational style works well enough at first, but for me, the novel began to lose momentum not long after Elwin and Thom arrive at the Old Man’s house along the Black River.
At that point, I found the characters increasingly grating and the plot progression tedious. I had expected the strained relationship between Elwin and his father to anchor the story, but the way it unfolds feels rushed and ultimately inconsequential. Once that relationship can no longer evolve directly, the novel shifts into a retrospective mode, with Elwin piecing together his father’s life while the reader is repeatedly reminded of Elwin’s own past, particularly the loss of a childhood friend—a tragedy invoked again and again until Elwin can finally move past it.
In theory, a novel’s progression should deepen both character and theme. In practice, I found that the writing rarely rose to that level. Elwin’s interior monologue lacks the depth or insight needed to sustain interest over the long haul. He is not especially reflective or philosophically inclined until, in the last chapter, he does finally offer some insights about what life has taught him.
For my tastes, two of the novel’s biggest missteps involve a couple of chance misfortunes that feel ill-considered and that zip past opportunities to explore something deeper and more emotionally engaging. These include the underdeveloped father–son relationship between Elwin and the Old Man, and the downriver boat trip during which Elwin is meant to dispose of his father’s ashes according to his wishes. Gould chooses each time to steer the story in an unexpected direction that I wouldn't have imagined, and neither works to the story's advantage.
In the meantime, there are frequent attempts at humor, but most land as mildly amusing at best. One character, Ruby, is a mortician-realtor eager to discuss both funeral logistics and real estate opportunities. She is clearly intended as comic relief, but I’m not convinced she adds anything essential to the story, as is also true of the stray cat Willy Nelson, Lily (the girl who works at the hotel), or even Linda, the Old Man’s main squeeze.
By the back third of the novel, my resistance to the characters eased somewhat, but I remained underwhelmed by the overall experience. The dialogue seldom crackles, the character development feels thin, and the story’s emotional arc isn’t especially satisfying. At 208 pages, the book seems stretched beyond what its material can comfortably support.
Gould is not the least bit interested in writing a page-turner, and I’m fine with that. Peace Like a River is clearly aiming for something quieter and perhaps reflective. The problem is that the writing rarely rises above proficient, so the lack of plot momentum isn’t offset by exceptional prose or anything else. The result is an okay story told in an okay way, a modest, gently amusing read that feels somewhat bland, though it will likely resonate with some readers.
August 15, 2025
Peace Like a River by Scott Gould is an exceptional literary Southern family drama that explores the relationships between fathers, sons, and grandfathers. It is very highly recommended.
Sixty-something Elwin McClennon learns that his father is dying from his father's friend Linda McCrea. Elwin hasn't seen his father, The Old Man, since his mother’s funeral 15 years earlier. Now he is heading to the small town of Kingstree by the Black River in South Carolina's Lowcountry with Thom, his precocious and on the spectrum thirteen-year-old son. Elwin never married Roma, Thom's mother, and his father's dying coincides with the two weeks he has Thom in the summer. The Old Man is meeting Thom for the first time.
On the drive to Kingstree, we meet both Elwin and Thom and observe their awkward interactions. Thom's numbering Elwin's stories immediately adds some humor to the novel and his comments and observations show that he is intelligent and clearly on the spectrum. While Elwin and his father struggle to make a final connection before his death, Thom quickly connects with The Old Man, Linda, and Lily, the daughter of the motel owner. It is clear that Elwin needs to find healing from his past and forgive himself and his father.
The writing is excellent as both relationships are explored and complications arise. As the narrative quickly continues, the plot clearly takes on an emotional depth and insight into the sometimes uneasy relationship between fathers and sons, as well as other relationships. The week spent on the Black River is quite eventful. The ending provides an insightful look into handling pain, healing, understanding, and forgiveness. The river itself is an important element in the plot and adds atmosphere and difficulties.
Elwin is portrayed as a realistic, fully realized individual full of strengths and weaknesses. His character experiences the most emotional growth in the narrative. Thom is also well-developed character who experiences growth as he faces some challenges. The supporting characters are all memorable, unique individuals.
Peace Like a River is very highly recommended for anyone who appreciates well-written Southern family dramas. Thanks to Regal House Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
Sixty-something Elwin McClennon learns that his father is dying from his father's friend Linda McCrea. Elwin hasn't seen his father, The Old Man, since his mother’s funeral 15 years earlier. Now he is heading to the small town of Kingstree by the Black River in South Carolina's Lowcountry with Thom, his precocious and on the spectrum thirteen-year-old son. Elwin never married Roma, Thom's mother, and his father's dying coincides with the two weeks he has Thom in the summer. The Old Man is meeting Thom for the first time.
On the drive to Kingstree, we meet both Elwin and Thom and observe their awkward interactions. Thom's numbering Elwin's stories immediately adds some humor to the novel and his comments and observations show that he is intelligent and clearly on the spectrum. While Elwin and his father struggle to make a final connection before his death, Thom quickly connects with The Old Man, Linda, and Lily, the daughter of the motel owner. It is clear that Elwin needs to find healing from his past and forgive himself and his father.
The writing is excellent as both relationships are explored and complications arise. As the narrative quickly continues, the plot clearly takes on an emotional depth and insight into the sometimes uneasy relationship between fathers and sons, as well as other relationships. The week spent on the Black River is quite eventful. The ending provides an insightful look into handling pain, healing, understanding, and forgiveness. The river itself is an important element in the plot and adds atmosphere and difficulties.
Elwin is portrayed as a realistic, fully realized individual full of strengths and weaknesses. His character experiences the most emotional growth in the narrative. Thom is also well-developed character who experiences growth as he faces some challenges. The supporting characters are all memorable, unique individuals.
Peace Like a River is very highly recommended for anyone who appreciates well-written Southern family dramas. Thanks to Regal House Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
September 28, 2025
I’m a sucker for dysfunctional family stories that hinge on colorful characters, humor that hits home at just the right moment, and a significant emotional pivot that resonates. Scott Gould’s latest book, “Peace Like a River,” is that kind of a triple-hitter couched in the rich landscape of rural South Carolina, so much so that you can almost smell the swamp along which the story’s Black River flows.
Elwin is a grandpa-aged dad and English teacher turned shoe salesman who very reluctantly finds himself on a road trip with his estranged - and strange - 13-year-old son, Thom, the result of a one-night stand. Two forces converge to cause the mandatory journey: the boy’s feisty, much younger mother, Roma, wants to take her yearly vacation from single parenting, and Elwin has been summoned by his estranged elderly father, who may well be dying.
The river on which Elwin was reared, and on which his father has a hunting shack, literally and figuratively flows through the often comical, yet palpably tense events that draw this extended family closer until the moment Elwin confronts the ghost of a long-lost friend that’s been mercilessly swimming through his life. A source of guilt that, when finally confronted, opens up new pathways for love, connection and fatherly pride.
This is such a wonderful book of place, purpose and eventual peace!
Elwin is a grandpa-aged dad and English teacher turned shoe salesman who very reluctantly finds himself on a road trip with his estranged - and strange - 13-year-old son, Thom, the result of a one-night stand. Two forces converge to cause the mandatory journey: the boy’s feisty, much younger mother, Roma, wants to take her yearly vacation from single parenting, and Elwin has been summoned by his estranged elderly father, who may well be dying.
The river on which Elwin was reared, and on which his father has a hunting shack, literally and figuratively flows through the often comical, yet palpably tense events that draw this extended family closer until the moment Elwin confronts the ghost of a long-lost friend that’s been mercilessly swimming through his life. A source of guilt that, when finally confronted, opens up new pathways for love, connection and fatherly pride.
This is such a wonderful book of place, purpose and eventual peace!
October 25, 2025
“Peace Like a River” is a wonderful tale about the decisions we make, both good and bad, coming full circle. A phone call from his dying father’s long-time partner puts Elwyn on the road with his autistic son, Thom, a delightful prodigy who is the product of a booze-fueled one-night stand. Scott Gould is a solid, seasoned wordsmith, finely attuned to the things that make people tick, their flaws, as well as their gifts. If you love character-driven fiction that is anchored in a world of ordinary people who have created extraordinary problems for themselves, “Peace Like a River” won’t disappoint. Gould has an ear for humor and an innate sense of timing. The story is driven by a well-balanced blend of character development and plot. Everyone in this visit to the ghosts of the past, and confrontation with the present, grows before your eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for a gratifying glimpse into the world that is the Southland and its sometimes-quirky inhabitants.
August 29, 2025
Scott Gould’s PEACE LIKE A RIVER (Regal House Publishing) is a Southern novel about fathers and sons, fighting old battles and making peace, and coming home. The themes are familiar but this isn’t a book you’ve read twenty times already. Gould has a singular way of setting down his stories. He cares too much for his characters to go for the easy laugh, or to go all Southern Gothic. As I said when I praised a previous novel, 2020’s WHEREABOUTS, “I won’t compare it to anything else. It’s a Scott Gould book.” I don’t know how to explain it, exactly, except to say that when he opens Chapter 25 of PEACE LIKE A RIVER by writing, “You are never prepared for the morning a funeral home-director-slash-real-estate-agent arrives at your motel room door bearing a half dozen ziplock baggies of your father’s ashes and his shiny, sterilized artificial hip joint,” it rises above the merely comic.
February 16, 2026
A delight! Quirky characters, stilted relationships, and the death of the "Old Man" make this river journey poignant, sad, joyful, and purposeful. Elwin and Roma's son, 13-year-old Thom, steals the show as in his own awkward ways he learns to navigate life while teaching the adults around him the same. The river is the outstanding metaphor, as it can be a place of both tragedy and triumph ... and ultimately peace.
I laughed out loud in places, and I embraced much of the unexpected wisdom gained in navigating life, especially when it takes sudden turns you do not expect.
Bravo to Scott Gould for a rewarding read!
I laughed out loud in places, and I embraced much of the unexpected wisdom gained in navigating life, especially when it takes sudden turns you do not expect.
Bravo to Scott Gould for a rewarding read!
January 30, 2026
Peace Like a River is an outstanding novel in every way. The writing is beautiful, the characters are alive, and you're there on the Black River in South Carolina with Elwin and his son Thom as they navigate not only the dark water but their relationship. Told in first person, Eliwin's story is both poignant and gently satiric, the kind of humor that will make you laugh outloud but also make you think. I've got two words for this book: Read It!
August 30, 2025
I enjoyed Peace Like a River!
Gould captured the mystery of family relationships, the beauty and magic of nature and the healing power of love.
I'm from the town in his book and I know the Black River that feels like a character in his book. He represented the area as only a native could.
It is a sweet southern tale filled with wisdom and humor.
Gould captured the mystery of family relationships, the beauty and magic of nature and the healing power of love.
I'm from the town in his book and I know the Black River that feels like a character in his book. He represented the area as only a native could.
It is a sweet southern tale filled with wisdom and humor.
August 7, 2025
This novel feels clearly Southern without resorting to the usual tropes or imposing any fake-feeling weight. A fun read with a compelling family story and convincing atmosphere.
August 26, 2025
I generally enjoy southern fiction by women authors but this one was very good and I'm happy to have given it a chance. excellent characters and the river setting is fantastic.
September 18, 2025
I am a new Scott Gould fan!
September 28, 2025
Engaging story line about loss, dealing with the past and finding a place that promises to tie it all together.
October 31, 2025
Like Pat Conroy, with each book you retell your story, reintroducing a familiar cast of characters. Look forward to more in the future. Semper Fi.
Read
November 8, 2025A quick, cozy read with a satisfying ending.
February 20, 2026
I loved this book!
July 14, 2025
Fans of William Kent Krueger will enjoy this book.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews