The Sweetness of Water
Longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize
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4.5 • 6 Ratings
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- €5.49
Publisher Description
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE AND SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE
A TIMES BEST PAPERBACK 2022, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 2021, OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK AND BARACK OBAMA SELECTION
'A fine, lyrical novel, impressive in its complex interweaving of the grand and the intimate, of the personal and political' Observer
Landry and Prentiss are two brothers born into slavery, finally freed as the American Civil War draws to its bitter close. Cast into the world without a penny to their names, their only hope is to find work in a society that still views them with nothing but intolerance.
Farmer George Walker and his wife Isabelle are reeling from a loss that has shaken them to their core. After a chance encounter, they agree to employ the brothers on their land, and slowly the tentative bonds of trust begin to blossom between the strangers.
But this sanctuary survives on a knife's edge, and it isn't long before a tragedy causes the inhabitants of the nearby town to turn their suspicion onto these new friendships, with devastating consequences.
'[A] highly accomplished debut' Sunday Times
Readers have been swept away by The Sweetness of Water:
'Such a powerful, magnificent book; I urge you to read it. The comparisons with Colson Whitehead are justified' *****
'A staggering debut and a story that stays with you' *****
'Thought-provoking and moving . . . a gripping and compelling novel that exposes flaws, mixed emotions and imperfect relationships, and yet it holds on with determination and hope. It fully deserves a 5-star rating' *****
'Outstanding . . . A book that deserves widespread recognition and a wide audience' *****
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
With its unforgettable characters and gripping, immersive plot, Nathan Harris’ debut novel is the kind of book that makes you grateful to be a reader. Set in the fictional Georgia town of Old Ox, the story unfolds in the weeks immediately after the end of the U.S. Civil War, as Union soldiers enforce President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. After formerly enslaved brothers Prentiss and Landry leave the plantation owned by the cruel and vindictive Ted Morton, they wander on to the forested land of Morton’s iconoclastic neighbours, George and Isabelle Walker. The unlikely relationships that develop among these characters set off a chain of events that will dramatically alter each of their lives. The Sweetness of Water is a work of historical fiction that feels vital and fresh. It reminds us that we must all fight against beliefs and systems designed to keep people from being free.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Harris's ambitious debut explores the aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation in rural Georgia. In the small town of Old Ox, eccentric George Walker, whose land borders a plantation, is grieving for the son he believes to have been killed in battle when he meets up with two young brothers who until recently had been enslaved at the house next door. Talkative Prentiss and his silent brother Landry have been attempting to live off the land while figuring out their next move, and they accept George's offer of work converting his land to a peanut farm. When George's son, Caleb, returns, the balance in the household is upset, and violence ensues after Landry is caught witnessing a secret sexual rendezvous between Caleb and sadistic August Webler, heir to one of the richest families in the county. Harris peoples the small community with well-developed characters, including George's quietly determined wife, Isabelle, and a mixed-race prostitute with whom George shares the secrets he can't confide to Isabelle. Harris writes in intelligent, down-to-earth prose and shows a keen understanding of his characters, and while the plot leads to several tragic events, there's a tinge of hope at the end. This character study is credible and deeply moving.
