When Samuel was ten years old he rowed a boat across the river and fell in love with someone special.
Emily Gable. Truly a princess in every way.
Beautiful. Wealthy. Out of his league.
But at ten years old, you don’t know those kinds of things.
Neither of them did.
Despite their differences, Samuel and Emily grew a love stronger than anyone else could understand. He knew she was different. Yet she was the perfect girl for him.
It was at a school dance where Emily was torn away from him.
Without his true love at his side, Samuel had to focus on himself, college, work, and life. All without the joy he’d once had with Emily. But plodding along, nonetheless.
He left small town Wisconsin to pursue a photography degree in Savannah, leaving his old life and trying to scrape up something new and meaningful.
But still, Emily would always have his heart.
After college, Samuel returned to Wisconsin.
What would happen when Emily was once again there? In his life? In his heart?
Would her parents allow her to pursue a relationship with Samuel despite her challenges? Would they see beyond the label of Down Syndrome to discover the woman that Samuel knew? To see the woman under the labels, the misconceptions, and the worry?
The Girl Across the River is a novel that tells a tale of a love beyond what most people consider ‘normal’, a love deeper than mere attraction and mutual understanding, a love of cherishing and understanding despite the challenges, despite those telling you not to love.
Writer Rachael 