Don Gerstein's Reviews > Deliverance

There are no spoilers here, nothing to ruin it for the few people who have never seen the 1972 movie of the same name. The movie followed fairly closely to the book, so I knew where the plot was headed the whole time. Even with that knowledge, I was inexorably pulled into the story, unable to set the book down.

Dickey’s continuous examinations in the early part of the book infect the reader with the malaise that has enveloped Ed Gentry and become his life. As a canoe trip that began as a break in life’s monotony quickly morphed into a struggle for survival, we can see how Ed changes and becomes someone he never imagined he could be.

This book is a mixture of a thriller tinged with adventure, camaraderie, dread, and the horror that only an unexpected, unspeakable situation can inflict. Human nature is human nature, and it is impossible to predict how anyone would act if confronted with a similar situation. Author James Dickey’s portrayal of forced survival decisions is powerful and revealing, and is not a book to be missed. Five stars.