I was intrigued when I spotted John Boyne’s Water in The Bookseller, billed as the first in a series of four interlinked novellas each named after the elements, something of a departure from his usual doorstoppers of which I’ve read and enjoyed several including his last, The Echo Chamber. It begins with a woman arriving on an island whose first act is to change her name.
I have a story to tell, it’s true, but I lack the inclination to tell it.
Willow, once Vanessa, is determined to blend into the background. Once the well-groomed wife of a prominent man, used to luxury and an idleness filled with spas and fundraising events, she hacks off her hair and leaves her face bare, settling herself into her spartan rented cottage. Carefully mingling with the islanders in the hope of defusing gossip, she visits both pubs, takes daily walks and obsessively checks her daughter’s social media profile, sending her texts which are more often than not ignored. Naturally the islanders are intrigued, some recognising her as the wife of the disgraced director of the National Swimming Association, jailed for molesting young girls, but while Willow may have dodged the judgement of Dublin’s elite, she’s unable to escape the family tragedy ensuing from Brendan’s abuse, faced with the prospect of her own complicity.
It’s women like us who allow it to happen… … Because staying quiet is easier than causing a fuss, isn’t it?
Boyne has chosen a controversial theme for the first in his planned series, one which may plunge him into social media hot water but he’s no stranger to that. We’re not immediately aware of what it is that Willow is escaping, details of Brendan’s abhorrent behaviour slowly emerging together with the horror of their family story. Over the course of her stay on the island, Willow comes to face her own complicity, the possibility that the choice of an easy life made her wilfully blind to Brendan’s crimes, not least under their own roof. It’s a powerful theme couched within a story unfolded with Boyne’s customary wit but despite the seriousness of its subject it felt a little slight to me; characters, particularly men, are somewhat two-dimensional, not given the space to be fleshed out. That said, I enjoyed it enough to read the second in the series when it appears, keen to see the next theme tackled.
Doubleday: London 9780857529817 176 pages Hardback (Read via NetGalley)
Susan I heard him being interviewed on Saturday morning and this same theme of abuse will be running across all 4 and then the four will be brought together as one paperback. A very original concept!
It is! I know you loved this one but it didn’t quite work for me. I think it may have been an adjustment from doorstopper to novella. I’ll definitely read the next one.
I hadn’t spotted this one by Boyne (I always enjoy his novels) and the timing is perfect given that it’s the beginning of Novella November.
It’s quite a departure for him. I’ll be interested to see what you think of it, Kate
I’m definitely in the market for this one: I might see if I can track down the interview that Swirl and Thread heard.
I’m sure your library will be able to help you out with this one.
A difficult theme to handle; glad to see it’s well done despite the characterisation issues you point out.
Mairead tells me that abuse is the theme of this series so I’ll be interested to see what aspect he explores next.
I’m going to try and get to this before the end of the month, I think he’s doing a very interesting experiment so it will be fun to see how it works out.
It’s so different from anything he’s done before. Quite a leap! Hope you manage to squeeze it into #NovNov.
How interesting! I’ll have a look out for some interviews on this cycle.
I’m sure he’ll be doing lots of those.
I’m not sure this is for me but it does sound an interesting premise. Maybe I’ll see how the others in the cycle work out!
I did have mixed feelings as you can probably gather but despite my reservations I’m sure I’ll read the next one.
I read that he was going to do these four themed books, Boyne has become so prolific it’s not easy to keep with his work. Turning to the novella rather than a chunkster is an interesting tactic though.
He is very prolific, isn’t he. I gather from Mairead that the overarching theme of the series is abuse.
The first book in a new series is always an intriguing idea. This does sound very interesting, despite, or because of the controversial subject matter.
I’m intrigued to see which angle he explores next given the series’ theme is abuse.
Good review–I may get it. Does it include any descriptions of what he did? If so, it’s a no for me.
Nothing graphic. It’s much more about his wife’s not allowing herself to face what he was up to,
When it’s out here I’ll probably read it.