Water is the first in a planned quartet of novellas named after the four elements and linked by some shared characters and themes. I’ve enjoyed many of John Boyne’s longer novels so I was intrigued to see what he could do with a shorter format.
We begin with Vanessa Carvin arriving on an island off the coast of Ireland where she has rented a cottage in the hope of escaping from her past and starting a new life for herself. The first thing she does when she gets there is cut her hair and change her name to Willow, before settling into a quiet existence, going for walks, attending church and trying not to attract too much attention to herself.
The whole book is narrated by Willow and she reveals her secrets to the reader slowly, when she is ready to do so, but we know from the start that something has gone badly wrong with her marriage to Brendan Carvin, Director of the National Swimming Federation. Where is he now? What happened to their eldest daughter, Emma? Why is Willow estranged from her younger daughter, Rebecca, who refuses to answer her texts and keeps blocking Willow’s number? It takes a while for the truth to emerge but, once it does, it gives Boyne the opportunity to return to the themes he has explored in other books such as A History of Loneliness and All the Broken Places (Father Odran Yates, protagonist of the former, is even referred to once or twice as a friend of Brendan’s, strengthening the tie between the two books). These themes include the questions of whether we can be considered complicit in another person’s crimes just by choosing to look the other way when our instincts tells us something is wrong and whether there is always more we could and should have done.
Water is the title of the book, but that element is also worked into the novel in a variety of different ways. Not only is Willow’s husband a swimming coach, but the sea has a role to play in the fate of one of the other characters and Willow’s own name refers to a tree that grows by water. And of course, the island itself is surrounded by water, both physically and metaphorically separating Willow from her old life in Dublin. For such a short book (176 pages in the hardback edition) it’s a very powerful one. It deals with some difficult and uncomfortable topics but, as I’ve come to expect from Boyne, there are also some humorous moments to lighten the mood. I can’t wait to see how he tackles the other three elements; I’m already looking forward to the second book in the series, Earth, which is due in May 2024.
Thanks to Doubleday for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
She Reads Novels 
Every time I hear of a book by Boyne I feel sure I would like it and yet I’ve never read anything by him. Perhaps this short book is a good place to put that right. Great review Helen.
I’ve enjoyed nearly all of the books I’ve read by him, including this one. I hope you have a chance to try one soon.
I’m eager to get my hands on a copy of this, especially after your positive review.
I hope you can get hold of it. It’s definitely worth reading.
J haven’t read anything by Boyne but I’m excited by the prospect of being at the beginning of a quartet and the elements is a good theme!
This novella could be a good place to start with him. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with Earth, Fire and Air!
It seems like you’ve read a lot of books by Boyne. I wasn’t particularly impressed by the two that I read, but maybe I need to try something different by him.
I’m not sure which books you’ve read, but I think his more recent books feel very different than the earlier ones.
I read This House is Haunted and one about the death of the Romanovs, the second of which I thought was unlikely in so many ways.
This sounds like a good one; I’m interested to see what he does with the other three elements.
I thought it was very clever the way he incorporated water into the plot in so many ways. I’m looking forward to seeing him do the same with earth, fire and air!
The bystander effect is well known in psychology but it’s also a great theme to explore in fiction for the feelings of guilt, or complicity, or regret that it evokes in those who felt somehow constrained from acting in a crisis. This is the kind of theme I’d imagine a novella like this would be very good at highlighting. A lovely review, Helen, thanks, I’ve never tried Boyne before but now I’m tempted.
Yes, it’s a fascinating but complex theme which I think Boyne handles very well in this novella and in some of his other work. A shorter book like this could be a good way to see if you liked his writing style before committing to a longer one.
This sounds really good Helen. Given that Boyne’s books are usually really long I am also interested to see how he gets on with the shorter format.
I thought this one was just the right length. I hope you’re able to read it soon!