In Wally Lamb’s New Novel The River is Waiting, an Inmate Searches for Hope (People Exclusive)
By Carly Tagen-DyeCarly Tagen-Dye Carly Tagen-Dye is the Books editorial assistant at PEOPLE, where she writes for both print and digital platforms.People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 24, 2024 10:00AM EDT Wally Lamb and the cover of ‘The River is Waiting’. Photo: Shana Sureck, S&S/Marysue Rucci Books The wait is over: Wally Lamb has a new novel coming.The bestselling author of novels like She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True is set to release his latest, The River is Waiting, next year through Marysue Rucci Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster — and PEOPLE has an exclusive excerpt.The River is Waiting, Lamb’s first novel in eight years, follows Corby Ledbetter, a new father whose marriage is upended after he loses his job and finds himself harboring a secret addiction from his wife, Emily. When Corby is involved in a shocking tragedy, he is sentenced to prison and must adjust to an entirely new life.Inside the correctional facility, however, Corby witnesses both acts of brutality and kindness, and forms bonds with the prison librarian, his cellmate and a troubled teenager in need of a role model. Through his fellow inmates and his mother’s belief in him, Corby comes to see that he may still be able to find redemption, per the book’s description. ‘The River is Waiting’ by Wally Lamb. S&S/Marysue Rucci Books Lamb has a personal connection to the book’s subject matter. The author established a creative writing program at the York Correctional Institution, a women’s correctional facility in Connecticut where he has volunteered for 20 years. Lamb is also the editor of the essay volumes Couldn’t Keep It Myself and I’ll Fly Away, which is composed of writing from his students. Read on for an exclusive excerpt from The River is Waiting. It’s six a.m. and I’m the first one up. Spotify’s playing that Chainsmokers song I like. If we go down, then we go down together … I take an Ativan and chase my morning coffee with a couple of splashes of 100-proof Captain Morgan. I return the bottle to its hiding place inside the 20-quart lobster pot we never use, put the lid on, and put it back in the cabinet above the fridge that Emily can’t reach without the step stool. Then I fill the twins’ sippy cups and start making French toast for breakfast. If we go down, then we go down together. I cut the music so I can listen for the kids, but that song’s probably going to play in my head all morning. Emily’s up now and in the bathroom, getting ready for work. When the shower stops, I hear the twins babbling to each other in the nursery we converted from my studio almost two years ago. My easel, canvases and paints had been...
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