Reading the Water
Fly Fishing, Fatherhood, and Finding Strength in Nature
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"A father shares the joys of fly-fishing with his daughters... A heartfelt, beautifully written celebration of the wonders of nature and comfort of family" (Kirkus STARRED)
Fishing was Mark Hume’s passion since he was a young boy, a lifeline through a childhood marked by his family’s frequent moves. When he became a father, he knew he wanted to pass on his love of water, fishing, and the natural world to his daughters. Most of all, he wanted to give them hope for their future even as they were coming of age during uncertain times.
As soon as they were old enough, Mark taught his girls how to read the water and see the patterns in nature. He showed them how to cast, how to catch fish and release them, and—only when needed—how to kill them. He discovered that fly fishing and fatherhood require many of the same skills: patience, flexibility, and the knowledge of when to reel in and when to let go.
Illuminating and heartfelt, Reading the Water is a much-needed, positive story about a father raising daughters, and a meditation on finding faith in a deep connection with the natural world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Hume (Trout School) recalls how he fell in love with nature as a child and how he passed that love to his daughters in this charming memoir. Born in British Columbia to a busy editor father and a mother distracted by "children running everywhere, a garden to tend, chickens to feed, and a goat to milk," Hume recalls venturing into the wilderness with his brothers and being entranced by a creek. He eventually taught himself fly-fishing, a sport he describes throughout in illuminating detail. He also traces his marriage to his wife Maggie, a fellow journalist he met in a newsroom. The couple had two daughters, who he successfully passed a love of fishing onto; the girls became skilled fly-fishers, as well as devotees of nature, one working in environmental policy and the other as a lawyer "representing Indigenous communities fighting for environmental reparation." Throughout, Hume excels at evoking the natural world and movingly describes his horror at the devastation humans are causing: "In my short lifetime I have seen great rivers dammed, entire forests clearcut.... And yet here on the water, reaching down to touch a cold-blooded fish, I have always found hope." The result is an invigorating look at the power of the outdoors.
