Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of "Once Upon a River'

After the violent death of her father, sixteen-year-old Margo Crane launches her grandfather's rowboat onto the Stark River and sets off to find her mother. But the river, Margo's childhood paradise, is a dangerous place for a beautiful young woman traveling alone. She must be strong and vigilant to survive, using her knowledge of the natural world and her ability to look unsparingly into the hearts of those around her.

Margo's river odyssey through rural Michigan becomes a defining journey, one that leads her beyond self-preservation and to deciding what price she is willing to pay for her choices.

In Once Upon A River, Bonnie Jo Campbell's writing is penetrating and powerful, and she joins the ranks of America's most poignant novelists. About the novel, Washington Post reviewer Ron Charles wrote, "Without sacrificing any of its originality, this story comes bearing the saw marks of classic American literature, the rough-hewn sister of The Leatherstocking Tales, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Walden."

During this week's program, Campbell talks about Margo Crane's odyssey and reads from Once Upon A River.

You can hear the program on the radio or online:

• Thursday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. on Montana Public Radio
• Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. on Yellowstone Public Radio
• Online, anytime at MTPR.org
• Via the MTPR podcast