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LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE AND SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE
A TIMES BEST PAPERBACK 2022, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 2021, OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK AND BARACK OBAMA SELECTION
'A fine, lyrical novel, impressive in its complex interweaving of the grand and the intimate, of the personal and political' Observer
Landry and Prentiss are two brothers born into slavery, finally freed as the American Civil War draws to its bitter close. Cast into the world without a penny to their names, their only hope is to find work in a society that still views them with nothing but intolerance.
Farmer George Walker and his wife Isabelle are reeling from a loss that has shaken them to their core. After a chance encounter, they agree to employ the brothers on their land, and slowly the tentative bonds of trust begin to blossom between the strangers.
But this sanctuary survives on a knife's edge, and it isn't long before a tragedy causes the inhabitants of the nearby town to turn their suspicion onto these new friendships, with devastating consequences.
'[A] highly accomplished debut' Sunday Times
Readers have been swept away by The Sweetness of Water:
'Such a powerful, magnificent book; I urge you to read it. The comparisons with Colson Whitehead are justified' *****
'A staggering debut and a story that stays with you' *****
'Thought-provoking and moving . . . a gripping and compelling novel that exposes flaws, mixed emotions and imperfect relationships, and yet it holds on with determination and hope. It fully deserves a 5-star rating' *****
'Outstanding . . . A book that deserves widespread recognition and a wide audience' *****
About the author
Nathan Harris
Summary
Longlisted for the Booker Prize, a powerful American debut portraying life after slavery in the vein of WASHINGTON BLACK
Foreword
Longlisted for the Booker Prize, a powerful American debut set during the Civil War and portraying life after slavery in the vein of WASHINGTON BLACK
Additional text
Absolutely stunning, full of vivid descriptions, gripping tension, dynamically complex characters, and a well-woven story
Report
The Sweetness of Water is a fine, lyrical novel, impressive at the level of the sentence, and in its complex interweaving of the grand and the intimate, of the personal and political. In presenting two narratives largely overlooked in traditional renderings of the war, Harris breathes new life into a period of history whose stories have grown stale with overtelling Observer
