Peace Like a River

Content Warning: The following chapter summaries and analyses discuss the source material’s allusions to sexual assault and depictions of gun violence.

Chapter 1 Summary: “Clay”

Chapter 1 introduces the book’s protagonist and narrator, Reuben Land, and describes the miracle of his birth. He was born in 1951 to Helen and Jeremiah Land, delivered by Dr. Nokes. At the moment of his birth, his father is outside the hospital, pacing and praying. Reuben isn’t breathing, and all the doctor’s efforts to make the infant’s lungs function prove unsuccessful. After 12 minutes, Jeremiah hurries in, having felt an inexplicable urge to rush to his wife’s delivery room. He later tells his son, “God told me you were in trouble. […] He made me run” (1), suggesting Reuben’s life will be shaped by divine intervention. Jeremiah tries to get Reuben to breathe, but Dr. Nokes tells him the baby will have brain damage after going this long without air. He tells Jeremiah they must trust that the baby’s death is God’s will, for which Jeremiah hits the doctor in the face.

Reuben’s body by this time is cold and gray, like a lump of clay.