Thanks to @littlebrown for sending me The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris. This book is a gorgeously written debut set right after the Civil War. It follows George and Isabelle, a white couple who own land but haven’t owned slaves, and Prentiss and Landry, two Black brothers who have recently been freed from slavery. At the beginning, after drifting without purpose following the loss of his son, George hires Prentiss and Landry to help him farm some of his land. A lot more happens in this book than that, but that’s where we start.

The first half of this book had me. It was full of beautifully crafted sentences and a compelling story. I do agree with Aixa @thatgoodgoodbook’s thoughts on the portrayal of George and Isabelle as the good, compassionate white people in a southern town - that it’s hard to believe, and that their inclusion makes this story more palatable. Still, the story has a lot to offer - it’s thrilling, there is a lot of tension, and I even found it romantic in a lot of ways, as Prentiss pictures what his life could be like as a freedman in the north and Isabelle and George work through some marital issues.

The second half of the story did start to lose me. The climax of the book came a little too soon, and though I do appreciate knowing how things end for many of the characters, it would have been interesting to leave more unsaid. I felt like the ending drifted away from some of the strengths of the first half of the book, and the story became a bit more melodramatic. The writing stayed gorgeous, though.

I’m definitely excited to see what Harris writes next. I think he’ll be a must-buy author for me!