The River Is Waiting (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two Oprah Book Club Picks – She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True – comes the propulsive story of a young father who, after an unbearable tragedy, reckons with the possibility of atonement for the unforgivable. OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK

#1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb, celebrated for two prior Oprah Book Club selections, returns with an exceptional third pick, a propulsive novel following a young father grappling with unbearable tragedy as he searches for hope, redemption, and the possibility of forgiveness.

Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?

• | Author: Wally Lamb
• | Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• | Publication Date: Jul 17, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781668006399
• | ISBN-10: 1668006391