On the Bank of Oblivion

by Emma G. Rose

When Owen first feels the tickle in his throat, he doesn't think it's a big deal.

Everybody gets sick sometimes, right? The problem is, he never seems to get back to normal. With the threat of summer school hanging over his head and a new art project on his mind, he doesn't want to think about what his symptoms might mean.

Avoiding the sneaking suspicion that something is wrong brings him to the bank of a mysterious river. There Lethe, the goddess of Oblivion, offers to take away all his bad feelings.

But a goddess is used to sacrifices.

326 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2022

About the author

Emma G Rose is a Maine author of contemporary fantasy and mythological weirdness. She intended to become an intrepid girl reporter like Nellie Bly. Then she spent Christmas Eve on a riverbank waiting for rescue divers to pull a body from the water. That's when she stopped waiting and wandered off to explore the world instead. She believes that stories can blaze a trail through the darkness and lead us back to the light. What you do when you get there is up to you.

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate to be given a copy of this book by a friend who had worked with the writer and did art for the book. It’s quite an interesting story of a family with a bit of fantasy sprinkled in! The characters are well written and easy to relate to. I also liked that some of the settings were places I knew from growing up in Maine. I’m definitely going to read more of her books!

[Aydan Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting the author and purchasing this book at a local comic con. We had a wonderful talk about chronic illness and what it meant to be sick. I was very excited to find not only a book written by a local author but also a book about chronic illness.
The way that Owen starts to get sick is too relatable. First it’s the small things and then you just don’t get better. I think that a lot of us who struggle with chronic illness can relate to his experience, not only in the pushing it down and pretending everything is fine but the struggle to find the thing that’s wrong. I think Owens relationship with Lethe is very interesting because sometimes it is easier to just forget about being sick and the struggles of having an illness but in the end you still want to live your life and not be a ghost of yourself.
Overall 10/10 would recommend I hope that others struggling with chronic conditions can find themselves in this book. And those who don’t have chronic illnesses I hope this gives an insight into our everyday lives. I really hope Emma G. Rose continues to write relatable books for all of us sick kids.

[Kimberly Braley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I basically couldn’t put the book down! Owen’s story and the side stories of his friends and family members will be relatable to all ages, not just the YA readers. Emma’s version of fiction/fantasy is my favorite to read and I will always enjoy how she is able to dip us between the real world and what exists beyond.

[Dylan West · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mythological John Green Novel

If you liked any of John Green's YA books, you're bound to like this one. The writing is sharp, clear, concise, and at times quite profound. Having read Near Life Experience by the same author, I'm not surprised. The pace of this book is a good deal slower than that one, and I think it's because of the subject matter and the literary quality of it. Almost upmarket. The sadness latent in this book didn't wallop me all at once--it's more of a gradual build. And the climax left me hanging. Not sure if this is a series, but I came away with a few big questions which I won't list here because they would constitute spoilers. The parts with Lethe are fascinating. The author does a great job making her feel alien.

Parts I found memorable:
-"'Now you do your presentation.' 'Do I have to pretend you're in your underwear.' Owen almost choked on his lemonade. 'Well I can't stop you'"
-"She didn't like to use names, ugly labels that drew boundaries between this and that. But humans loved to hear their own name called. They needed the constant reminder that they were real."
-"Most of the time she barely seemed like she was paying attention to the world around her, but put an art project in front of her and she turned into an apex predator."

Definitely read this for the otherworldly experience.

[Sarah McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in a series of companion novels, this follows Owen's story as a simple sore throat progresses into something that could be much more dangerous. I so enjoy the author's creativity with blending mythology into the "real" world, and her prose is beautifully written as always. I found Owen to be the most relatable for me. I loved his sense of humor and his relationship with his sister, and I also loved the progression of his friendship with Paige. Compelling characters, a mystery illness, and the engaging writing had me blowing through this book. I've enjoyed every single one of Rose's works, but I think this one is my favorite (so far). Can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

[Tami Morning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have read this book much faster, except the description of exhaustion of the main character made me so tired. I took two naps (which I normally don't do). I struggled a little bit with the book, because it didn't feel like Owen was making enough progress at any point. Part of the problem was that I couldn't really nail down what the point of the story was. The growth of the main character felt slow or non-existent, and even after finishing it, I feel like nothing really happened, which is a bummer. The writing was good enough to pull me through, though. I enjoyed the quality of the writing, just not super impressed with the story.

[Liz C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 2.5 stars. I think I would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more if it was a short story. The first ~200 pages were way too slow for me especially because I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. The last 100 pages saved it from being under 2 stars. I do like the general themes of the uncertainty of chronic illness (especially relevant with so many varying cases of long covid in young people these days) and the denial/coping that comes with it, but I just think it would’ve been much better executed in a short story.