In The River, Beverly Lewis tells the heartwarming story of Tilly and Ruth, two sisters from with a shared Amish heritage they long since left behind them.
But when they return to the picturesque Amish homelands of Lancaster County, the past collides with the present and threatens to drastically change each sister’s future life in a tale that will capture your emotions and imagination.
Both Ruth and Tilly are hiding the truth of their unresolved relationships. Tilly has married an Englisher - an outsider from the close-knit Amish community, but Ruth has remained single. INdependent as she is, Ruth hasn't entirely abandoned the memory of her Amish lover and his doomed courtship.
Now, back among the Plain folk in their Eden Valley home, they are face to face with their past feelings, thoughts and actions. And through the centre of this reunion of hearts flows a darkness: the dreaded rather which, long ago swept away the third of the sister, five year-old Anna.
Tilly and Ruth still yearn for a redemption from past wrongs and griefs and relationships that are loving and accepting. But first they need to come to terms with a past they cannot change,
"Give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." —Isaiah 61:3