Leif Enger Reveals What Inspired Him to Write Best-Selling Peace Like a River
"...certainly my faith emerges thematically in everything I do."
REPORTER'S NOTE: Chances are if you haven't read the best-selling novel "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger, you've at least heard of it. If you haven't heard of it, let me be the first to recommend it. I often tell people that every author wants to pen the next Great American novel. In my estimation, Enger did just that. "Peace Like a River" is about extraordinary faith and miracles from the vantage point of a young boy whose family is enduring highly unusual and unique challenges and crises. The following are excerpts from an interview of the Osakis, Minnesota, native by Scott Noble of Noble Creative. To read the entire interview, follow the link provided. -Teresa Neumann
NC: Where did the genesis for the hugely successful Peace Like a River come from?
Enger: It came about because our son was going through a terrible time with childhood asthma. We were quite confused about it and didn?t know how to handle it. It was like nothing we had seen before. We were young and ignorant and na?ve. What we really wanted was, of course, a miracle. This is what you want when your kids are ill. We had to make due with not a miracle, but with doctors taking care of him and us learning how to deal with that situation. So that was really the genesis. My brother Lin, who also has a book coming out this summer, has said that you write about things in order to understand them. And I think what I wanted to do was to understand what he was going through and understand my own desires for his healing. (Photo: GroveAtlantic.com)
NC: How does your faith interact with your work?
Enger: I think that no matter what your work is, it?s informed by your belief. And I think that?s true for carpenters and people who work for the phone company and artists of all kinds. It comes out not necessarily purposefully. I never think about writing a book in order to proselytize or to persuade. But certainly my faith emerges thematically in everything I do.
