THE RIVER YOU TOUCH

A heartfelt memoir of life and fatherhood in Big Sky country.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Dombrowski, author of the acclaimed Body of Water, was “pointed the way west” when a teacher suggested he read A River Runs Through It. Seeking “the promise of a life less bound by convention, less dictated by status quo and occupational demands than by one’s passions,” he and his would-be wife, Mary, moved to Missoula, Montana. Dombrowski found work as a writer and fly-fishing guide, and Mary became a kindergarten teacher. Over time, they amassed a group of like-minded friends who shared their respect for the abundant flora and fauna in Montana. Through a collection of vignettes, the author shares his concerns for the environment, the effects of the appropriation of land from Native inhabitants, and the emotions the landscape stirs in him. “The angler standing in the river is not so much absolved of time as disburdened of it, able to shirk its weight—for some moments anyway—before with a dull thud a trout strikes his swinging fly, and he returns to pretending that he set himself in this cliff-shadowed stretch in search of a fish.” With the arrival of their first child, Dombrowski was determined to pass on his passion for the land, but his thoughts soon turned to his family’s financial situation. Adding to his concerns was the “inevitable environmental impact our growing family is likely to have on our planet.” After the arrival of his third child, the author accepted a teaching position at a boarding school in order to provide his family more financial stability. However, the move took him and his family away from their beloved Montana. (They are now back, and the author teaches creative writing at the University of Montana.) Nature lovers will be captivated by Dombrowski’s lyrical descriptions of the land and its wildlife, while parents are sure to relate to his familial challenges and sacrifices.

A beautifully and poignantly written tribute to a beloved landscape and its spirit.