So Cold The River (Book)

 

Author Michael Koryta said the inspiration for this book came from the location itself: West Baden Springs, IN. Before discussing the book, I want to take a moment to discuss the location. West Baden Springs (WBS) is best known for two things: Larry Bird and their hotel. I grew up close to the area, which is what piqued my interest in the book. When I was a kid the hotel was in ruins, abandoned long ago. It was difficult to imagine that it was once a prosperous, a destination for the rich & famous. The history of the hotel is well documented, and involves competition between the WBS Hotel and French Lick Hotel, unfound promises of the health benefits of mineral water, booze & gambling, and the rich & famous. Following the Great Depression, the guests and money disappeared, and the hotel shut down in 1932.

In 2006, the hotel received funding to be restored and reopen. In 2007, 75 years after it closed, the hotel reopened. By this time I was living in Pennsylvania, and so the news of the reopening was off my radar. Since moving back to Indiana, I have visited the hotels a few times, but it wasn't until a conference this previous spring that I actually stayed overnight as a guest. There is something special about this place, something that is difficult to explain in words. I think a lot of it has to do with how well they restored the hotel and surrounding grounds to look like they originally looked. It is such a unique hotel, and has such a rich history, that traveling through the arches and down the long brick driveway feels like passing through a time warp to the 1920s. I completely understand how the hotel could inspire a story such as So Cold The River.

Much like how the reopening of the hotel was off my radar in 2007, so was Michael Koryta's fictional book. After staying at the hotel this past spring I became aware of the book. I found staying at the hotel so intriguing I decided to read the book, despite not knowing anything about the plot. It's a supernatural mystery & thriller, about a guy from Chicago named Eric who unknowingly transports the spirit of a former resident back to "the valley" (the area around French Lick and West Baden Springs is called Springs Valley because of the mineral springs). The spirit consumes the man, until it is transported to another man named Josiah, who is a relative of the spirit. As Eric is haunted by the spirit and trying to figure out what is going on, Josiah becomes unstable as he is transformed into a living version of the spirit's personality. It's an interesting story that leaves you guessing until the very end on how the book will conclude. It's neat how the author uses French Lick's Pluto Water as the vessel for transporting the spirit, and how he incorporates the hotels and surrounding areas of Springs Valley into the story. They have since made the book into a movie which got terrible reviews, but I plan on watching it to at least see how the hotels and Springs Valley look on TV. Reading this book was a nice departure from all the Star Wars books that I had been reading. I needed a break from that genre, and this was a nice opportunity to read something new.