// The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

The Sweetness of Water is an incredible debut by Nathan Harris, one that has been longlisted for The Booker Prize 2021. The story, which is set just after The American Civil War revolves mainly around four characters; George and Isabelle who own farm lands and are unlike other white people in town. And of Prentiss and Landry, two brothers who are newly freed black men. When the four accidentally meet, they form a bond in ways they never expected to. It was perhaps inevitable that in a town so small, tongues would wag when the brothers started working with George and were paid fair wages as any other white men. This was the beginning of a snowball effect, one that ultimately turns the lives of the entire townsfolk upside down.

For most of the book, Harris explores the idea of freedom. A concept so rare for the slaves but often dreamt of nevertheless. Through Prentiss and Landry, we learn about a life lived within the confines of a farm, with bleeding hands and broken jaws. While Prentiss took up most of the pages, it was Landry's silence that pierced my heart. The two brothers were each other's shadow, casting a protective shade around them. By living and working with George and Isabelle, they are briefly cocooned in safety although that doesn't last very long. What took me by surprise was how Isabelle's character unfolds in the latter part of the book. The character development in this novel plays a significant role in enhancing the story. Harris takes his time in unraveling each of them, almost like peeling an onion to expose their vulnerable selves. The Sweetness of Water is a slow burning story, all it's elements coming together perfectly in the end

But ultimately he leaves us with the the thought that one must hope even in the face of tragedy.

As Harris says 'Yet sometimes - just sometimes - hope was enough.'