Into The River

Back in 1979, Bruce Springsteen was all set to release the follow-up to the previous year’s Darkness on the Edge of Town. After legal problems made the wait between that album and its predecessor, the breakthrough Born to Run, a long three years – an eternity in the ’70s – Springsteen was more than ready to get back into the studio.

An eloquent and haunting exploration of suicide in which one of Canada's most gifted writers attempts to understand why his brother took his own life. Which leads him to another powerful question: Why are boomers killing themselves at a far greater rate than the Silent Generation before them or the generations that have followed?

Beside a rain-swollen river in Patagonia, a man approached on a horse. His mount, a rusty red beauty, sported the short-trimmed mane and neatly squared-off tail of a well-kept horse. The man wore goatskin chaps, a woolen poncho, and the jaunty black beret typical of the region. This pair belonged to this place in a way I could only dream of. The man stared at us. We were up to our knees in mud and dwarfed by huge backpacks.

The first volume of Quiet River of Dust was released on the autumn equinox of 2018; this second volume, out on the summer solstice of 2019, was created at the same time. (It was supposed to come out on the spring equinox, but got bumped because Parry and designer Tracey Maurice had to wait for salt crystals to grow on the artwork to create wave caps and mountaintops—do not underestimate Parry’s attention to detail.)

Allen John Spender, a young and credulous lad, is traveling down the river on his barge when he meets and is captivated by Rosalee, worldly-wise and beautiful. Rosalee, having been the mistress of a man just sent to jail for murder, is stirred by his fresh and ingenuous character, though she has sworn eternal faithfulness to her former lover. Though himself enchanted, Spender plans to continue his wandering ways until the former lover returns and forces the issue. Spender disposes of him, Rosalee recaptures her innocence, and the two find happiness as they resume his journey down the river.