The River and The Garden
A novel about money, faith, and family — and a framework for stewarding what you've been given with wisdom, intention, and open hands.
Available on Amazon
Synopsis
What happens when a family's wealth becomes the thing that heals them?
Maddie Craig (Gran) is running out of time and sitting on millions she'll never spend. Her son, Roger, recovering from a heart attack that stripped him of everything he used to call success, can barely recognize himself. Her granddaughter, Willow, sees beauty everywhere except in the language of money. When Gran summons them both to help steward her surplus, she isn't doing estate planning. She’s planting seeds of reconciliation.
What begins as an uncomfortable family obligation becomes an unexpected journey, one that transforms how three generations see wealth, each other, and themselves. Based on true principles of impact investing, The River and the Garden invites you to sit with one question: What is your surplus cultivating?
"This is the most real book about investing you'll encounter, because it deals with the only reality that matters: how our money shapes souls, both ours and others."
— Henry Kaestner, Co-Founder, Faith-Driven Investor & Faith-Driven Entrepreneur
What readers are saying
I believe this story can reach some readers in ways that traditional arguments for Christ-honoring and people-loving investments have not.
Through engaging storytelling, Rachel McDonough takes us on a multigenerational journey as the Craig family discovers the satisfaction of stewarding their resources in God’s way. Learning to manage their investments, charity and business with wisdom and purpose, past brokenness begins to heal.
For the first time, The River and the Garden presents values aligned financial stewardship in an enjoyable, easy-to-read narrative. This novel allows the reader to find themselves in any number of the characters and see a path forward to aligning their finances and investing with their God-given calling.
The intertwined stories of three generations gave me fresh hope for purpose, vision, and unity. I highly recommend for anyone who wants to dream big—both for their resources and for their family.
The River and the Garden is thoughtful, generous, and quietly challenging. This story explores money not as a neutral tool, but as something morally formative —shaping people, relationships, and imagination beyond outcomes.
A masterpiece of prophetic imagination. Rachel has a rare gift for seeing the connections others miss. Through her words, stewardship is transformed from a duty into a beautiful invitation to participate in God's redemptive purposes on earth.
One family. Millions to allocate. Fourteen chapters.
A reckoning with everything money can and cannot do.
Purpose
One year later, golden light fills the gallery Willow never believed she'd build, and the river and the garden come full circle — leaving one question behind: what kind of steward am I becoming?
Plans
One year later, golden light fills the gallery Willow never believed she'd build, and the river and the garden come full circle — leaving one question behind: what kind of steward am I becoming?
Impact
One year later, golden light fills the gallery Willow never believed she'd build, and the river and the garden come full circle — leaving one question behind: what kind of steward am I becoming?
You’re not starting from the beginning. You’ve already covered significant ground.
This book is for people who’ve already built something meaningful. You have a significant portfolio, probably an advisor and a plan too. What you might not have is confidence that it’s all cultivating the right things.
If you’ve ever sat at a financial meeting and thought, “The numbers are fine, but I wonder what more is possible” — this book is the language for that feeling.
The Faithful Steward
You’ve been blessed, and you know it. You give generously, invest carefully, and still carry a quiet sense that there’s more faithfulness available to you than you’ve found. This book is the conversation you’ve been waiting to have.
The Thoughtful Advisor
Your clients trust you with their numbers. But their portfolios and their values have been living in separate conversations for years. This book gives you a way to bridge them — and a framework your clients can actually feel.
The Purposeful Donor
You write checks. You fund causes you believe in. But you’ve started to wonder whether your broader financial life is aligned with the same convictions. This book starts where the donation receipt ends.
