March 2026 Book Club | Emma recommends... It Comes from the River - Rachel Bower

Our March Book Club, discussing It Comes from the River with author Rachel Bower, is on Wednesday 18 March, 6.30pm. FREE but please get in touch to sign up!

Emma says... Making almost alarmingly effective use of the tale of the gytrash, It Comes from the River is a brutal but brilliant novel exploring how women can become trapped, used, and abused in the roles of wife, mother, lover. The stories of the three women are individually compelling but the way in which they are woven together had me totally gripped - all working towards an aching, dramatic climax that felt both devastating and empowering. I won't forget this book any time soon and can't wait to discuss it with Rachel at book club!

---

From the river it comes. To the river it always returns.

Alex, Lauren and Nancy are three women each trapped in their own lives, swept along by forces beyond their control. Alex is isolated in her abusive marriage, and struggles to keep her growing family together; Lauren is doing what she can to provide for her two boys; and Nancy dreams of escaping the care home that her son abruptly moved her into. But there’s another character in this story. Beckoning, menacing, hiding within bushes and behind shadows.

What unites these women? And can they break the cycles holding them back?