“Between the Clouds and the River” is a quietly powerful novel that snuck up on me with its depth and emotional resonance. Dave Mason’s writing has the lyricism of a poet, especially in scenes set in nature such as along Montana’s rivers and in the towering forests of British Columbia. Every historical detail feels lived and recalled rather than researched.
While the book will certainly draw readers interested in World War II, with its fascinating and educational exploration of German POW camps in North America, it’s really a story about how people find each other across the chasms life so often creates. The central relationship between Frank Gardner (once Bernhardt Lang) and Joseph Holliman unfolds with remarkable subtlety – no dramatic speeches or sudden breakthroughs, just the gradual building of trust between a young boy and a man carrying his own heavy secrets.
The novel’s dual perspectives – Joseph’s clear-eyed childhood observations alongside Frank’s war-weary adult wisdom – create a powerful and profound contrast. Through their varying viewpoints, we see how differently they interpret events, yet also how their perspectives gradually align as Joseph grows and Frank allows himself to heal. It’s this interplay between innocence and experience that gives the story much of its emotional heft.
What impresses most is how Mason handles big ideas – about borders, identity, justice – through intimate human moments rather than philosophical discussions. A shared meal, a fishing trip, the gift of a book – these small gestures carry the weight of the novel’s larger themes.
The story moves between timelines with impressive control, each thread enriching the other until they finally twist together in ways both inevitable and surprising. Mason has a keen eye for describing the physical world without falling into clichés – the way light hits water, the smell of sawdust in a mill, the particular quality of mountain air – that grounds even the most emotionally charged scenes in tangible reality.
This is a serious but also accessible novel that earns its moments of hope. It asks hard questions about nationality, belonging, and the arbitrary nature of borders without offering easy answers. Yet for all its gravity, it maintains a fundamental warmth that makes spending time with these characters a genuine pleasure. A thoughtful, moving book that lingers in the mind. Fair warning: keep tissues handy for the final chapters.
