I read and loved The Thirteenth Tale all the way back in 2016, so when I saw One Upon a River in BookXcess, I decided that it wasn’t much of a risk if I got it. And I was right because I absolutely loved this novel.

Once Upon a River is set on the banks of the Thames and starts when a man staggers into The Swan. He’s grievously hurt and carries a dead girl with him. An hour later, the girl comes to life and wakes up.

As with missing girls, there are people who want them. There are the Vaughans, who are convinced she is their kidnapped daughter, and there are the Armstrongs, who think that she might be the daughter of their prodigal son.

I have to admit, I was a bit worried about this book because there was a rather heavy-handed passage about the river at the start. It was pretty clear to me that the author was going to compare the story of each family, and also the stories of the side characters, to the tributaries of the Thames, and that I should expect the story to flow like the Thames does.

Well, the book did do that, but the effect was glorious. I flowed alongside the story, peeking into the lives and worries of the Vaughans, coming to know and admire Robert Armstrong and his wife, rejoicing that Helena Vaughan has shaken off her sadness, and following with curiosity, the midwife Rita and the injured man Daunt as they try to uncover the mystery of it all. It all felt very natural and I was quickly absorbed into the story and by the end of the book, I was nodding along and thinking “oh yes, this story is like a river.”

The language here is beautiful, smooth and flowing, and I loved that stories were such a huge part of this book. Although at its core, this is a story about family, the book managed to weave in glimpses of wonder and delight, which, coupled with the language, gives the book a fairytale-like quality.

Overall, I adored this story. It’s a beautiful and lyrical piece of work that speaks hauntingly of family, love and loss. If you enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale, then you’ll want to pick this up too.