“Flow is the difference between the way things are and the way they ought to be.” Jake did not understand the meaning of his grandfather’s words. It was easier to believe that the flow was not real.

The Rivers have a name for the mysterious presence that continually saves them from ruin.  They call it the flow.  Ten-year-old Jake Rivers is the only family member who has not experienced it, and fears he never will.  On a dusty baseball diamond in the middle of a drought, the flow visits Jake, sending him on a quest to understand more than a young boy can.

As Jake searches, a succession of events pushes the family into a downward spiral of economic and emotional disaster.  Jake fears that the flow may have turned against his family. An evangelical preacher, a woman who has lost an infant child, and a young boy who loves baseball but can’t play the game help Jake to find the secret of the flow.

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I loved reading In the Rivers’ Flow. The images are fresh and original, the language just right… a rare and beautifully written book.— Jane Roberts Wood, writing teacher and author of many books including Grace and Dance a Little Longer. Wood is a Fellow of both the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts.

A telling mark of any literature is the degree of retention it possesses… I will always wonder how Jake Rivers is doing… and I will never forget him.
— Dr. Michael Johnson, award winning author of six books, national columnist, cowboy, and 2005 Oklahoma Author of the Year.

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Reviews for In the Rivers’Flow

Jim Ainsworth has written a beautiful novel that is always engaging, never slows or falters. His voice is unsentimental and precise and his descriptive detail is an absolute feast. I was with the Rivers family from beginning to end.  I won’t forget this novel or this family.--Suzanne Morris, author of Look Back with Longing, Keeping Secrets, Galveston, and Skychild

I loved all the characters, especially Jake. I carry him in my heart now, and I will never let him go.  I am so glad I read this book.--Rosalie Oliver of the Roaring Red River Chapter of the Pulpwood Queens

I am so glad our book club chose your book. I fell in love with the characters.  The baseball games were wondrous.--Pat Minter, New Boston, Texas

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