Is a River Alive?

It’s no spoiler to say Macfarlane’s answer to his titular question is YES: here he weaves together three journeys to three rivers in Ecuador, India, and Canada to make this case. In each place the river is considered by the people to be, in some essential way, alive. And each river is in danger: from mining, pollution, and man-made interference, respectively. But if these rivers are alive—as Macfarlane believes they are—how we respond to the current crisis has sweeping ramifications on our world and our souls. Macfarlane’s gift is to meld adventure, philosophy, ecology, and nature writing into cohesive, riveting narratives, rendered in sparkling prose. This beautiful and timely study is a worthy addition to MacFarlane’s body of work, and also serves as a welcoming entry point for new readers.