Never the Same River Twice — Phyllis Carol Agins

Never the Same River Twice is the love story of a triangle of damaged souls that swirls around the life of an adorable nine-year-old boy. There is Camille, who insists on battling a serious illness on her own; Rudy, her estranged husband, who collects sexual experiences like trophies of manhood in the course of destroying his marriage; and Frank, Camille's lover, who has never been able to love fully because of his mother's premature death. At the center of the triangle is Camille and Rudy's son, Tommy, who comes to have a deep need for all three adults as he responds with great confusion to the possible loss of his mother. The backdrop for this compelling story is far northern California, bordered by high mountains, active volcanos and lush redwood forests, divided by rushing rivers and the tunneling lava tubes that hold ancient secrets of initiation and growth. These are rural areas peopled with the remnants of Indian tribes where Rudy meets Old Man Coy! ote, the story's moral touchstone. The Hoopa Indian dispenses wisdom while he drinks cheap beer and taps into native legends. Facing enormous loss, the characters in Never the Same River Twice finally learn to shuck off the past, to free themselves and blend with the others into a heightened sense of love. Never the Same River Twice is a beautifully crafted tale of love discovered-between a woman, two very different men and a boy searching for the people who become his three parents. Ultimately moving and uplifting, this is a racy novel that does not disappoint any of our senses, nor our minds.