The River Beyond the World is a 1996 novel by American novelist Janet Peery. Though her debut novel, the novel was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. The novel follows the relationship of two women on separate sides of the Rio Grande, in South West Texas and Mexico.
Kirkus Reviews favourably described the novel as "A lyrical, dramatic first novel", and compared it to the work of Barbara Kingsolver. On the other hand, Publisher's Weekly's review was more mixed, writing "at times, however, one wishes she had turned her observant eye more to the characters' inward reflections than on atmosphere; her powers of rich description invite readers to hope for the same level of intense contemplation applied to the characters' inner lives." The LA Times was more optimistic, describing the novel as thematically successful at "repl[ying] to the current anti-immigration fanfare [emphasizing how] It is not the labor of immigrants that the United States needs, but the humanizing dimensions of their culture."