A review by softstarrynights
Water Shall Refuse Them by Lucie McKnight Hardy

4.0

Water Shall Refuse Them id the debut novel of Welsh writer Lucie McKnight Hardy. I was lucky enough to meet Lucie on one of her Waterstones tour stops and get my copy signed, as Water Shall Refuse Them is Waterstones' Welsh Book of the Month. When I first read the synopsis it sounded very similar to Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle which I first read a couple of years back (and coincidentally I intended to re-read this month ahead of the film's UK release on July 29th) and lover's of Jackson will know that it's a tough bar to meet. Water Shall Refuse Them met that bar with ease. This novel was enchanting from the first sentence to the very last and I could not stop reading. Nif was a fascinating character perspective as she describes her experiences living in this Welsh village for the summer. Her coming-of-age journey was perfect, and while I did see one reveal coming that did not detract from the overall experience of reading this novel. Lucie brilliantly captures this suffocating ominous sense that something bad has happened, is happening, and will happen to the point that no page feels safe. I will eagerly await Lucie next book, and in the meantime devour this all over again. This is not a novel you want to miss!