I dare you to read this without tearing up! The depth of emotions that it elicits are second to none. I have read A LOT of book, and none to date have torn at my heart like this one.
Told in first person, we meet Benji who is desperately trying to keep his head above water after losing his father and best friend 5 years earlier to an unexplained accident.
As the story progresses, we meet Benji's guardian angel. Literally. He falls from On High when Benji's desperation reaches breaking point. He is still charged with protecting the town's folk, but now has to do so without being seen.
This would be one of the best angel books I have ever read! This is not an all-knowing angel..... Calliel (Cal) is lost, missing memories, naive when it comes to a lot of the ways of humans, and very lonely. He and Benji have so much in common, and find something in the other that calls to them.
What really got me was the writing style. There are flashbacks at various intervals throughout the book as Benji is reminded of a certain event that involved his father - right back to when he was 6 yrs old. These memories are so beautiful - the love between father and son is palpable! But of course as the reader, you know what that does to Benji to lose his father at the age of 16, so now all of those loving memories are tinged with sadness. It really reminded me of the kids movie Inside Out, where suddenly all the happy memories are tinged with sadness associated with the future loss. I have never read anything like it!
As sad as it was, I couldn't put it down. I loved the underlying mystery they had to solve, and how in each other they finally found hope and happiness. This is a decent length book too, so the storyline wasn't rushed. The author has given the topics in question adequate room to be absorbed and dealt with.
Definitely a book I would recommend - just have the tissues handy, as I can guarantee you'll need them at one or more points


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Into This River I Drown Paperback – 25 March 2013
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Tj Klune
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Product details
- Publisher : Dreamspinner Press, LLC; First Edition, First ed. (25 March 2013)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1623804086
- ISBN-13 : 978-1623804084
- Dimensions : 15.24 x 2.31 x 22.86 cm
- Customer Reviews:
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247 global ratings
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TOP 50 REVIEWER
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TOP 500 REVIEWER
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T J Klune books are always outside the box. This was no different. Angels falling out of the sky, conversations with the archangels, murder and mayhem and more. Personally I struggle with books that swing between past and present, so I struggled with this one, or perhaps I wasn't in the right head space. It took about half way through for me to feel I was getting somewhere but I still found it hard going at times. Having said that, I would still recommend the book - the ending was predictable and yet not. And there are always messages in the words that make one think about the why's of life, choices and what happens after. Bear, Otter and Kid still remains one of my top three series of all time.
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Reviewed in Australia on 15 February 2019
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Wow this book is not a normal read, it is an amazing story, but different from TJ's other novels. Benji and Cal were meant for one another
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TOP 500 REVIEWER
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My goodness this book. It’s one of my all time favourites. I cried, walked away, preserved with sweaty palms and smiled like a fool in parts. It’s beautifully written.
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Reviewed in Australia on 29 March 2018
My first taste of TJ Klune and what a wonderful way to start following an author. I really enjoyed this book and was thrilled to find out he had quite a number of other books. It will always be one of my favourites as it was the gateway into a wonderful writer.
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Beverley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful complex treat
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2013Verified Purchase
I can hardly express how much I enjoyed reading Into This River I Drown. This is an emotionally intense novel about grief, love, fathers, faith and community. These big themes are explored through the eyes of Benji, an ordinary boy drowning in his own grief having lost his father Big Eddie, five years before. What makes this novel so intense is Benji's internal dialogue. It is one thing for an author to write describing grief and love however, it takes a quite a different writing talent to allow the reader to experience those emotions for themselves when reading the novel. TJ Klune uses leitmotifs, such as blue, the river and haunting song lyrics, confidently adding a further lush layer to this complex novel.
I wept whilst reading (not easy), I smiled at the reference to a bear and an otter and was intrigued by the mentions of 'Seven' from 'Burn' (another TJ Klune Novel I loved). It is quite difficult to review a novel without 'spoilers' but I really feel new readers should come to 'Into This River I Drown' without too many pre-conceptions.
What I will say is, if you think this is another wonderful TJ Klune m/m romance, you maybe disappointed but read on and you will find what you have is a cathartic, beautiful, mysterious novel full of poetry, emotion and wonderfully memorable characters.
Please TJ more please I have so many questions :-)
I wept whilst reading (not easy), I smiled at the reference to a bear and an otter and was intrigued by the mentions of 'Seven' from 'Burn' (another TJ Klune Novel I loved). It is quite difficult to review a novel without 'spoilers' but I really feel new readers should come to 'Into This River I Drown' without too many pre-conceptions.
What I will say is, if you think this is another wonderful TJ Klune m/m romance, you maybe disappointed but read on and you will find what you have is a cathartic, beautiful, mysterious novel full of poetry, emotion and wonderfully memorable characters.
Please TJ more please I have so many questions :-)
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Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 April 2013Verified Purchase
What an amazing and thoroughly entertaining story. T.J.Klune's writing just gets better and better. This is so very different from the other novels he's written, I'm surprised at just how versatile this author is.
Although I personally have no religious faith what-so-ever, I still enjoyed this story of angels, Heaven, Earth and the crossover (the River).
The main theme of this novel is faith. Faith in the Father, be he God or the human father Big Eddie; faith in Love conquering, faith in acceptance and faith in humanity. Powerful stuff and I admit to tears several times throughout the read.
This is not as humorous as the majority of TJ's novels, but it has its subtle moments; the eight year old Benji running away for one and Cal the angel's childlike naivety another: There is no snarky humour in this novel.
I admit to feeling emotionally exhausted by the end and had to leave the writing of my review for couple of days. I don't think I've ever read Grief so well captured in words.
A truly amazing book.
I read the dedication after finishing and wept again.
Although I personally have no religious faith what-so-ever, I still enjoyed this story of angels, Heaven, Earth and the crossover (the River).
The main theme of this novel is faith. Faith in the Father, be he God or the human father Big Eddie; faith in Love conquering, faith in acceptance and faith in humanity. Powerful stuff and I admit to tears several times throughout the read.
This is not as humorous as the majority of TJ's novels, but it has its subtle moments; the eight year old Benji running away for one and Cal the angel's childlike naivety another: There is no snarky humour in this novel.
I admit to feeling emotionally exhausted by the end and had to leave the writing of my review for couple of days. I don't think I've ever read Grief so well captured in words.
A truly amazing book.
I read the dedication after finishing and wept again.
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Tracy Shayler
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, Totally Amazing!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2013Verified Purchase
This is the Third book by T.J. Klune that I have read and yet again I am speachless. His style of writing is totally original, brilliant, amazing and his storyline' s leave me breathless!
This book had me a little confused in the beginning as I had not read the description and had no idea what the book was about. Very quickly I was captivated, finding myself rereading pages in total awe at the authors ability with words.
The story is brilliant, emotional and like no other book I have read before.
If you haven't read anything by this author before then you must.
highly recommended!!!
This book had me a little confused in the beginning as I had not read the description and had no idea what the book was about. Very quickly I was captivated, finding myself rereading pages in total awe at the authors ability with words.
The story is brilliant, emotional and like no other book I have read before.
If you haven't read anything by this author before then you must.
highly recommended!!!

EBR45
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommend it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 April 2013Verified Purchase
This book had me in tears a lot of the time - but that's not a complaint, it's a compliment to the sheer talent of TJ Klune. Just as his father drowned, so is Benji drowning in overwhelming grief. One night, crying out for help, his plea is answered by the arrival of Calliel.
I must admit, I wasn't expecting the turn the book then took but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment, and it was definitely thought provoking.
Like the previous reviewer, stick with it because it is well worth it.
I must admit, I wasn't expecting the turn the book then took but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment, and it was definitely thought provoking.
Like the previous reviewer, stick with it because it is well worth it.
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Phase58
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slow start but wow does it take off!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 April 2015Verified Purchase
Utterly compelling read. I don't do god but this was a great book probably because of the faith of the characters in it and possibly because of the writer. So well written, emotive and captivating. For me, a non believer, absolutely preposterous, but they could be aliens called by another name, this time angels. I loved this authors other books about otter et al, and this although quite different was equally as brilliant. I can't sing its praises enough.