Reuben

Reuben Land is the main character of Peace Like a River; he is also its narrator. In the book, Reuben is only eleven years old but he narrates it as an adult. He is the son of Helen and Jeremiah Land and he has an older brother Davy, who is sixteen and a younger sister, Swede, who is only nine. Reuben had a miraculous birth, with his father reviving him twelve minutes after he stopped breathing. But Reuben has lung trouble for the first eleven years of his life.

Reuben is a loving child, interested in the sorts of things in which most eleven-year-old boys are interested. He loves stories, playing in the yard and spending time with his family. He is also religious and admires his father deeply.

The main storyline is really about Reuben's developing spiritual consciousness and learning to trust God as his father did...