Go as a River: A Novel

Victoria arrives in Paonia, where her peach trees have been transplanted onto a new plot of land. The new farmhouse is cozy and welcoming, but Victoria has trouble settling into her new surroundings. Her new neighbors visit with baked goods to welcome her but are uncertain whether her new peach farm will reap peaches good enough to compete with the local fruit farms, which boast apples, cherries, and pears. Victoria cuts the buds off her fruit trees to stop them from flowering so that they will grow stronger roots in their new soil.

At night, Victoria dreams of Baby Blue and Wil and feels haunted by her losses and displaced from her home. She sleeps on the couch instead of in the bedroom. One day, her realtor visits, relaying news of the town and the previous inhabitants of the house, a family whose son was killed in the war. He mentions that the north fork of the Gunnison River feeds the irrigation ditches on her new farm. This fact triggers homesickness in Victoria. After that visit, she begins to settle into her new house and spends time wading in the fork of the river, grounding herself in her new surroundings.