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cher_n_books 's review for:
The Sweetness of Water
by Nathan Harris
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
3 stars = Good and worthwhile.
“The language of grief was often nothing more than silence.”
Set in Georgia right after the emancipation proclamation, this is a novel about redemption and retribution, filled with both sorrow and inspiration. The sadness is contrasted with witty dialogue that provides welcome moments of dry humor. There were limited passages that I found to be quotable, but the storytelling was solid.
“When I look in the mirror in the morning I see a miserable old bastard looking back at me. Yet when I see you, I take great comfort, knowing how much progress I have left to make on that same path.”
It was my first novel by Nathan Harris, a satisfying debut, and I enjoyed his quiet, peaceful way of narrating the tale with memorable characters. There are a couple of side plots that were not seen through to their conclusion that I would be interested in following should the author ever write a sequel. Recommended to readers of historical fiction who appreciate narratives exploring the full spectrum of human virtue and evil.
“And perhaps that was the great ill of the world, that those prone to evil were left untouched by guilt to a degree so vast that they might sleep through a storm, while better men, conscience-stained men, lay awake as though that very storm persisted unyieldingly in the furthest reaches of their soul.”
-----
First Sentence: An entire day had passed since George Walker had spoken to his wife.
Favorite Quote: Maybe with time there were parts of the past that could be forgotten, their sway over him toppled, but there would always be certain memories that survived the fall and stood amid the rubble. Monuments of loss.
“The language of grief was often nothing more than silence.”
Set in Georgia right after the emancipation proclamation, this is a novel about redemption and retribution, filled with both sorrow and inspiration. The sadness is contrasted with witty dialogue that provides welcome moments of dry humor. There were limited passages that I found to be quotable, but the storytelling was solid.
“When I look in the mirror in the morning I see a miserable old bastard looking back at me. Yet when I see you, I take great comfort, knowing how much progress I have left to make on that same path.”
It was my first novel by Nathan Harris, a satisfying debut, and I enjoyed his quiet, peaceful way of narrating the tale with memorable characters. There are a couple of side plots that were not seen through to their conclusion that I would be interested in following should the author ever write a sequel. Recommended to readers of historical fiction who appreciate narratives exploring the full spectrum of human virtue and evil.
“And perhaps that was the great ill of the world, that those prone to evil were left untouched by guilt to a degree so vast that they might sleep through a storm, while better men, conscience-stained men, lay awake as though that very storm persisted unyieldingly in the furthest reaches of their soul.”
-----
First Sentence: An entire day had passed since George Walker had spoken to his wife.
Favorite Quote: Maybe with time there were parts of the past that could be forgotten, their sway over him toppled, but there would always be certain memories that survived the fall and stood amid the rubble. Monuments of loss.