Themes
Talking to Graves, it's impossible to forget that you're talking to a marvelously creative spirit, a man who has grasped the marrow of life by simply understanding the soil, the rivers and creeks, plants, birds and beasts. "I really think that if you know about a piece of land around Waxahachie, then you know pretty much about what life is like in Chicago and Beirut," he says. "Once you find a real comprehension of life and the people around you, it leads you to more of a comprehension of the whole world."
It's hard to think of any other book that does this as well as Goodbye to a River. The Brazos is a vast, winding stretch of water stained with the colorful, brutal history of Texas. "I know what this sense of place means for me," he said. "Knowing a place as well as you can -- the rocks, the dirt, the spirit of the place -- you can understand and deal with the world at large."
Goodbye to a River is the timeless description of Graves' trip (that's the most obvious theme), but it's more than simply a travelogue. The past, the present and the ugly future meet in Graves' book. It's an excursion into the history of the river with its Indian lore and its stories of the settlement of the frontier and the development of farming and ranching. Graves still feels the presence of such people as Bigfoot Wallace, Charles Goodnight, Oliver Loving, Cynthia Ann Parker and her Indian son Quanah, and Peta Nocona. He weaves into the book, unobtrusively and casually, fascinating bits of history and folklore of the region.
But Goodbye to a River is more than a simple travelogue and the history of a river. It's also a picture of the author himself. He struggles against the November weather and the caprices of Texas landscape, and he faces problems of survival in the Brazos wilderness. But it isn't Graves' mastery of the elements that counts. He contemplates the value and meaning of life, and Goodbye to a River becomes a breviary, a personal testament for readers who share his regard for simplicity, honesty and authenticity.
The book is an honest revelation of the river, and of the man.
Graves' friend Bill Wittliff explains, "He's trying to find the things that connect us. What John is saying is that this, the thing he is writing about, matters to me. I find meaning in it. In other words, John's concerns transcend the physical."
In its review, the New York Times said, "Its outstanding virtue is that Mr. Graves converts an autumn excursion into a memorable saga. It is a warm, moving book with many rewards for the reader."