It must be a ghost! A six-year-old Stone Age Papuan boy, Benjad, is thrust into the modern world when a soldier- turned-missionary and his wife rescue him from an evil shaman who has killed his parents. The shaman, enraged, plots the murders of both the boy and his adopted family. The story is filled with humor, action, and suspense as it traces Benjad’s adjustments to his new life. A theme of a conflicted worldview between his clan’s traditional demand for vengeance and his Christian faith is ever present. The conflict culminates twelve years later in a deadly struggle between the young man and the murderous shaman in an unexpected finale. "Deftly written story" - Reader's Favorites by Ruffina Oserio This is a deftly written story, and the author balances Christian values with tribal beliefs, establishing a defining contrast between Benjad's life in his tribe and life in the city. The conflict is written with ingenuity. Besides the physical and cultural elements that fuel the conflict, the reader encounters a protagonist torn between two contradictory beliefs: the forgiveness proposed by his newfound faith and the call for revenge rooted in his traditional belief. You Cannot Grasp the River is emotionally charged, deftly written, and beautifully paced. The characters are fully drawn and multidimensional. The author writes the themes of family, faith, tradition, and love intelligently and captivatingly. The elements of the settings are explored in detail, and readers have clear images of where the story takes place. Overall, this is a moving tale about the pull of the past and the liberating power of the Christian faith: it is compassionate and affectingly warm.