About the Book:
Downriver
A sulfur sky poisoned her family and her heart. Now revenge tastes sweeter than justice.
It’s 1900. In a Pennsylvania coal town tainted by corruption and pollution, Charlotte's world collapses when her parents meet a tragic end. Sent to a foster family in a Maryland fishing village, she’s fueled by grief and embarks on a relentless quest for justice against the ruthless coal boss, Nels Pritchard.
But Charlotte is no ordinary girl. She shares the fiery spirit of her father, whose powerful speeches inspired worker riots. With a burning desire for vengeance, she sets out to uncover the truth behind Pritchard's crimes, unearthing a shocking connection between the town's toxic air and the lifeless fish washing up on the shore of her Chesapeake Bay foster town.
To expose the truth, Charlotte builds a network of unexpected allies. There are gutsy suffragists, a literary society of teenage girls willing to print the truth… and Weylan. The captivating young man lost his own family to Pritchard’s poison. He offers support, but Charlotte questions his true motives when he lures her to break the law. Could she be falling into a dangerous trap, leading her to a fate worse than poison?
With her unwavering spirit and determination, Charlotte must forge alliances and navigate a web of treachery before Pritchard seeks his own ruthless revenge.
Published 2024 ✧ Jennifer M. Lane ✧ Pen & Key Publishing ✧ Personal Library
Review:
Set in Pennsylvania and Maryland circa 1900, Downriver by Jennifer M. Lane is a coming-of-age historical inspired by the environmental impact of coal mining and the labor disputes that characterized the Coal Wars in the United States at the end of the 19th century.
I'm convinced I'd have enjoyed this book a great deal if I had read it as a teen. I found the "Not Like Other Girls" trope far more satisfying two and a half decades ago, and the tonal symmetry between the novel and Newsies would have checked all my boxes. Candidly, the parallels are so strong that I read chapters twenty-six and twenty-seven to the tune of Once and For All.
Be it the years or the mileage, straightforward storytelling doesn't satisfy me the way it used to. My tastes now favor richer narratives with multi-layered characters and intricate, interconnected plotlines. Lane has a commendable eye for content and theme, but stylistically speaking, the execution of this piece lacked the level of complexity and sophistication I now crave.
Downriver shelves nicely alongside Uprising and Glow.
