A Dystopian Historical Tale of Injustice - an Editorial Review of "Upstream"

Book Blurb:

Upstream is Jennifer M. Lane’s stunning conclusion to the story that began in Downriver.

This dystopian historical tale of social justice, set in Pennsylvania’s coal country and on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, is filled with adventure and heart.

The closer Charlotte gets to the killer and the cure, the more she forgets to live.

It’s 1901. It’s been a year since Charlotte arrived on the Chesapeake Bay and discovered the poison that killed her parents was in the water… and killing people downriver.

Together, Charlotte and Weylan use the power of his newspaper to launch an assault against Nels Pritchard and the coal town responsible, printing the truth behind the lies.

But they haven’t launched their relationship. When he asked her to marry him, she said “Yes, but not yet.” Her heart can’t settle until justice is won. And though poisoning the water isn’t illegal (yet), a lawyer is willing to help them, if they find proof of their claims.

Then they’re presented with an offer they can’t refuse: an attractive proposal to work undercover in Pritchard’s inner sanctum. There, they’ll have access to all the proof they can carry. But as they close in on evidence of Prichard’s schemes, an ally goes rogue and embroils Weylan in his plot.

Before the ash settles on his fiery plans, innocent people lose their lives, Charlotte loses the evidence she needs, and Weylan could lose himself. Picking up the pieces means choosing between the past she can’t leave behind and the future she may never grasp.

The newest book by award-winning author Jennifer M. Lane is perfect for fans of Jeannette Walls’ Hang the Moon and the fiery protagonist in The Hunger Games.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/BjrbJJ

Author Bio:

A Maryland native and Pennsylvanian at heart, Jennifer M. Lane holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Barton College and a master’s in liberal arts with a focus on museum studies from the University of Delaware, where she wrote her thesis on the material culture of roadside memorials.

Jennifer is a member of the Authors Guild and the Historical Novel Society. Her first book, Of Metal and Earth, won the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel and was a Finalist in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards in the category of Literary / General Fiction. She is also the author of The Poison River Series (Book 1: Downriver), Stick Figures from Rockport, and the Collected Stories of Ramsbolt, including the books Blood and Sand, Penny's Loft, Hope for Us Yet, and A Good Day for Pie, The Worsted House, and The Warmth of Fires.

Editorial Review:

against the backdrop of early 20th-century Pennsylvania, in a small coal town wrestling with corruption, silence, and brave women determined to expose the truth. Lane's poetic yet grounded prose explores not only the environmental and political rot poisoning the community, but also the complicated emotional terrain of those caught in its currents, resulting in a story that is both intimate and quietly defiant, providing readers with a heroine to root for, a cause to believe in, and a voice that lingers long after the last page.

At the center of this moving narrative is Charlotte Morris, a determined journalist and daughter of a town that no longer feels like home. After the death of her parents—likely caused by poisoned water from the local coal industry—Charlotte devotes herself to finding proof of wrongdoing buried beneath years of silence and corporate influence. Charlotte pieces together a growing body of circumstantial evidence and witness accounts, though legal proof remains frustratingly out of reach in a system designed to protect the powerful. Charlotte lives with three other women in a modest apartment above a candy store and is not just a reporter, but a driving force at the local newspaper—published by her once-and-maybe-future fiancé, Weylan—where she uses her voice to challenge power and dig up truths others would rather bury. Just as Charlotte’s reporting begins to expose Pritchard’s influence, a cease-and-desist letter arrives—signaling a shift from quiet resistance to open confrontation. The narrative progresses as Charlotte wrestles with issues of voice, sacrifice, love, and what it means to pursue justice when the law does not care.

Lane structures the novel with a strong sense of place and progression and uses the first-person narration that is fluid and immersive, bringing us into Charlotte’s mind as she navigates between journalistic duty, personal grief, romantic uncertainty, and the collective power of female friendship. The pace is purposeful but never languid, letting character—rather than just action—build the emotional weight naturally. The world of "Upstream" feels fully lived-in—its sounds, smells, and summer heat soaking every scene with texture. A central tension in the novel arises from Charlotte and Weylan’s attempt to secure a credible scientific inspection of the poisoned water—an effort that highlights the frustrating gap between knowledge and action, and the systemic obstacles to holding industry accountable.

The prose style is one of the book’s biggest strengths. Although Lane writes lyrically, she never loses sight of the truth. Her dialogue is incisive and realistic, and her descriptive passages are frequently subtly poetic. 

“He looks the way I picture a young Abraham Lincoln, tall but not lanky. A little stooped, as if he feels unworthy of his height and with a gentleness that will form deep lines as the strain of the years settles in… I want to hear him talk about the poison in the waters. I want him to finally say that he won’t take bribes from men with deep pockets, that he won’t be a safe harbor for the upstream sins of a corrupt coal boss.” 

This excerpt demonstrates how Lane invites readers to comprehend Charlotte's desperation, her attention to detail, and her need for truth in a community full of secrets while fusing observation, character analysis, and theme into a single line of thought.

The women's shared apartment is the scene of another remarkable event, when the intricacy of day-to-day life clashes with the looming stress of activism and legal threats: 

“It’s small, only four little rooms… The kitchen makes up the bulk of the space we share above the candy store, and most of that is the stove. It’s old, with a crooked door… but we all have the hang of it now. And we’ve gotten pretty good at repairing it when we need to… It’s amazing what a bunch of women can do when we’re left alone to get on with it.” 

Here, Lane evokes the comforting chaos of communal living while also reminding us of the quiet competence that underpins the novel’s resistance. These women don’t need fanfare or permission—they just need space, and each other. What begins as a quiet, personal crusade transforms into a collective reckoning, fueled by sisterhood, community stories, and a shared refusal to stay silent.

Finally, in a later chapter, when Charlotte and Weylan stand on the edge of yet another risk, readers are given a moment of tenderness wrapped in uncertainty: 

“I don’t want to lose him and I don’t want to hurt him. I just want us to be a team so nothing falls apart. Us. The newspaper. The mission… The thought of losing him terrifies me just as much as the idea of marrying him. I wish I weren’t such an idiot.” 

This is where Lane excels—not in grand gestures, but in the small, honest truths that come from love entangled with fear, conviction entangled with doubt.

In "Upstream," Jennifer M. Lane has written a novel that is not only timely in its themes which include corporate accountability, women's voices, environmental justice but timeless in its emotional core. It is about what we owe to the places that shape us, and what it means to speak when others remain silent. Through Charlotte, readers are reminded that resistance doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it writes, sometimes, it waits and other times, it simply refuses to go away.

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