Book Review - Water by John Boyne
In 'Water' by John Boyne, a woman arrives on a small island off the West coast of Ireland and the first thing she does is shave off her shoulder-length blonde hair and change her name. What is she hiding from and what the repercussions be if the locals uncover her true identity?
All the Broken Places
John Boyne is one of my favorite authors at present as he has a wonderful ability to weave story and character into a page-turner that isn't afraid to tackle big themes. ‘All the Broken Places’ was one of my favourite books this year, a thought-provoking follow-up. to ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
As the old question asks, you can run but can you hide? Vanessa Carvin may have become Willow Hale but when you've been involved in a high-profile media case, there's always a chance that someone will work out who you are. The island might be on the opposite coast to Dublin, but Irelands not that big.
'Water has been the undoing of me. It has been the undoing of my family. We swim in it in the womb. We are composed of it. We drink it. We are drawn to it throughout our lives, more than mountains, deserts, or canyons. But it is terrible. Water kills.'
Island
Living in a remote cottage on a small island also provides Vanessa with the opportunity to think about her past. There's a daughter who won't respond to her messages and another she can barely mention. How complicit was she in the events that led up to her fleeing to the island?
Her only visitors are a cat called Bananas and her abrupt neighbour Mrs Duggan and her son. There are two pubs she frequents, handy for phone coverage, where she keeps to herself, but the local Nigerian priest Ifechi takes an interest in her. Even if she were a believer, would being absolved of her sins be something she's interested in? The priest encourages Vanessa to see the church as a place of refuge, but does she even believe she deserves to find peace?
Boyne keeps us guessing throughout. Obviously, we learn more about her family history and the crime associated with her throughout the book, so I won't spoil that storyline. Vanessa is an interesting character, and not unlike Gretel in his previous book, Boyne creates his characters with such empathy.
Novella
At 172 pages this is a novella and Boyne does well to tell a complete story and create a believable and compelling character. And there are a lot of themes here - abuse, suicide, powerful men abusing power, conniving politicians, and complicity.
It's also about remorse, and how families are splintered by tragic events, struggling to put themselves together again, if they ever can. Can you live in the shadow of something so terrible, and how can you ever cope with the remorse that you feel? It's about trying to learn to live with yourself again.
‘We are none of us innocent and none of us guilty, and we all have to live with what we’ve done for the rest of our lives and that the only way through this terrible thing, if we are to survive it at all, is to be kind to each other and to love one another.’
Water Summary
The dialogue and interactions are natural and Boyne as usual excels in having a bit of humour in his story, a bit of light to balance out the dark. His storytelling skills are well-honed at this stage of his career, and it takes a certain talent to tell a full story in a novella and not leave the reader feeling short-changed. Another recent author I can think of doing the same is Claire Keegan.
Boyne is a writer at the peak of his talents and his books are a must-read for me. This is a title that tackles difficult issues with sensitivity, whilst asking thought-provoking questions of the reader and telling a story that will have you tearing through the pages. There aren't many better than doing that and John Boyne delivers again.
176 pages, November 7, 2023 by Doubleday UK
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.