The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Tuesday, August 25th @ 6:30pm at Two Rivers (4046 West Powell Road, Powell, OH 43065)

About the Book

The River Is Waiting is the 115th official pick for the Oprah's Book Club, written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb.  Released in June 2025, this novel marks the highly unusual third time Oprah Winfrey has selected a book by Lamb, following his previous classics She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True.

The narrative centers on Corby Ledbetter, a stay-at-home father of nearly two-year-old twins who is quietly spiraling. Struggling with recent job loss and a secret drug and alcohol addiction, Corby hides his reality from his wife, Emily. Within the first dozen pages, he makes a fateful, substance-clouded decision while driving that accidentally kills his young son, Niko, shattering his family.

Sentenced to prison, Corby must navigate the brutal and unforgiving realities of life on the inside. Amidst prison violence, he discovers profound lifelines: an empathetic prison librarian, a gentle cellmate, and a troubled young inmate looking for guidance. Sustained by his mother's faith, Corby embarks on a raw, painful journey toward self-reckoning, atonement, and the seemingly impossible hope of forgiveness from those he loves.

While the story itself is made up, the hyper-realistic prison setting is heavily influenced by the author's real-world background. Wally Lamb spent twenty years facilitating writing workshops for incarcerated women at Connecticut's York Correctional Institution. This firsthand experience informs the authentic day-to-day details of life behind bars found throughout the novel.

About the Author

Wally Lamb (born October 17, 1950) is an acclaimed American novelist and short story writer.  A Connecticut native, he built a successful career blending his background as a high school English teacher with literary storytelling, frequently exploring themes of trauma, mental illness, and redemption.

Wally has said of his fiction, “Although my characters’ lives don’t much resemble my own, what we share is that we are imperfect people seeking to become better people. I write fiction so that I can move beyond the boundaries and limitations of my own experiences and better understand the lives of others.

Wally and Christine have three sons and five grandchildren. They met when they were high school freshmen and have been married for 47 years.