Go as a River: A Novel

Victoria reels from the shock of reading Inga’s letter, which has revealed Lukas’s life but also his disappearance. She thinks of her son as a young man, facing the violence of war and the uncertainty of his identity. She focuses on the monument of rocks she has built in the clearing where she left him. This monument has also brought them back together, if indirectly, and she imagines Inga and Lukas’s own visits to the stones through time. She is overwhelmed by Inga’s call for help and is unsure how to respond, so she meditates in the presence of the rocks for guidance.

Victoria invites Zelda over with the intention of finally revealing the story of her and Wil and Lukas for the first time. They walk through the peach farm, and Victoria confides in Zelda about her relationship with Wil, his murder, and her pregnancy and abandonment of Lukas. Zelda is shocked that Victoria never looked for Wil’s family or searched for her son in the intervening years. Victoria feels unready to face Lukas, but Zelda encourages her, believing that they must seek him out. Victoria shares the contents of Inga’s note. Zelda reminds Victoria to be brave and offers to help her whenever she is ready to search for Lukas.