The Sweetness of Water is set in the antebellum South shortly after Lee’s surrender. The residents of Old Ox are grappling with uncertainty and angst as the familial and financial losses of the Civil War become apparent.
For some, the presence of freedman camps and Union soldiers is unsettling to their core. However, not all are suffering. George and Isabelle Walker’s grief dissipates when their son, Caleb, returns home after they were told he was killed in action. Prentiss and Landry, two emancipated brothers from a neighboring plantation, relish their newfound freedom and accept George’s offer to work his property with him for “honest pay” to finance their journey North. Nonetheless, these are tenuous times. When a single act of cowardice fueled by bitterness and hatred begets a series of devastating events, it leaves the town and its residents scarred in unimaginable ways.
Harris created a world that showcased humanity at its best and worst. There were immersive descriptions of the Georgian landscapes including a masterful correlation to the novel’s title. The emphasis on nature was purposeful as it highlighted the dependence on agriculture (and the manual labor required to work it) for survival as well as the central characters’ reverence for the earth and the elements. Love and tenderness were expressed within the symbiotic nature of the interpersonal relationships formed between those least expected. The author flavored the dialogue and inner monologues with nuanced language and phasing evocative of the era.
I thoroughly enjoyed this remarkable and memorable award-worthy debut!