The Water Children

‘Anne Berry is a wonderful writer… from page one, the plotting is heart-in-the-mouth stuff. What more could you ask?’ Daily Mail

‘Simply heartbreaking… One of the best novels I have read all year’ Keith Donohue, New York Times bestselling author

Winner of Amazon’s ‘Rising Stars’ competition

In the suffocating heat of an historic London heat wave, four young people converge in a tangled web of sexual charm and dangerous passion.

Each of their lives has been irrevocably changed by water: the cruel power of the sea, the healing pull of the river, the slow breaking of thin ice.

As four lives collide in this tale of betrayal, revenge and redemption, who will succumb this time?

Will the power of love finally bring the water children together, or tear them apart?

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From the author of The Hungry Ghosts:

‘As heart-rending as it is innovative, The Hungry Ghosts heralds Berry as an original new voice in fiction’ Time Out

‘This is a novel as breezy as the best summer reads, yet secrets and deadly jealousy seethe at its core…engrossing’ Daily Mail

‘A stunning debut…Epic in scope and voice…so skilfully crafted, and the writing so elegant, it’s hard to believe it is a first novel’ Globe and Mail

Reviews

Praise for The Water Children:

‘Anne Berry is a wonderful writer with a poetic imagination and use of language; startling metaphors and images flow effortlessly from line to line and, from page one, the plotting is heart-in-the-mouth stuff. What more could you ask?’ Daily Mail

‘Simply heartbreaking, The Water Children is a beautiful story, crafted with real skill and artistry, and told in a rich and sumptuous voice. One of the best novels I have read all year’
Keith Donohue, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Child

Praise for The Hungry Ghosts:
' [A] stunning debut' Woman & Home

‘As heart-rending as it is innovative, The Hungry Ghosts heralds Berry as an original new voice in fiction’ Time Out

‘This is a novel as breezy as the best summer reads, yet secrets and deadly jealousy seethe at its core…engrossing’ Daily Mail

‘A stunning debut…Epic in scope and voice…so skilfully crafted, and the writing so elegant, it’s hard to believe it is a first novel’ Globe and Mail

'[A] brilliant, brittle portrayal of colonial Hong Kong’ Psychologies

'The vivid, sensory depictions of Hong Kong circa 1970 ignite this almost unrelentingly sad story, and Berry’s easy way of switching between different narrative voices from chapter to chapter is impressive' List

About the author

Anne Berry was born in London and spent her childhood in Aden and Hong Kong where she was educated. She worked for a short period as a journalist for the South China Morning Post, before returning to Britain. After completing a three-year acting course, she embarked on a career in theatre, playing everything from pantomime to Shakespeare. Her first novel, The Hungry Ghosts, was shortlisted for The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and The Desmond Elliott Prize. She now lives in Surrey with her husband and four children.