'If I Were a River' not only explores personal and universal themes of illness, death, grief and forgiveness, it also transports the reader into a surrealistic dreamscape where deceased family members appear, disappear and often offer comic relief and spiritual guidance. These poems reflect on significant childhood memories that shaped the author's life coupled with her urgency to piece together these fragmentary remembrances before they shift and vanish. 'If I Were a River' is a testament to the author's resilience during a period of uncertainty and her innate yearning for human connection and joy.