In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry—freed by the Emancipation Proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys.

By setting "The Sweetness of Water" at this particular point in history, the author is able to home in on some of the major social issues of the day. The concerning thing is that reading this material more than 150 years later, it is apparent these same social issues are still relevant and are far from being entirely resolved.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A beautiful story about fear, love and hope. Set shortly after the American Civil War, we meet themes of slavery, childhood trauma, sexuality and grief. But also determination, growth and freedom.
For me, this was a slow burner and I took a while to get into it, but I'm glad I persevered. The second half of the book was moving and stayed with me for days.
A stunning debut novel from Nathan Harris and I can't wait to read more!

Wow I just loved this book. Initially it took a time to get going but this was right, the scene needed to bet set and life isn't drama all the time. The second part of the book was so moving. The story is set around the end of the civil war but within this are parallel themes. I can't believe this is a debut novel. It is gripping yet sympathetically written, which suits me. I dont want to give any of the plot away, as this book needs to really unfold as you read on, that is its beauty. It had me engaged to the last page. At times I did find it harrowing but it was written so sensitively.
I do hope there are more books in the pipeline by this author.

In the postwar deep South, two brothers find themselves free men and find support in George, a man that talks too much and has some unconventional ideas.
Amazing depiction of marriage, friendship and family.

I loved this novel. A slow burner to start with but once you fall in love with George Walker you are caught, like Isabelle, Prentiss, Clementine and Ezra were. A man who talked too much, who had some strange ideas and who never conformed to what society expected but a man who inspired a deep loyalty in his friends and family.
This novel is far more than a book about slavery and the post civil war Deep South it is a tapestry of human relationships and emotions. Harris shows us imperfect marriages, imperfect sibling and parental relationships and yet those imperfections are, like the Japanese art of Kintsugi where broken things are fixed with gold to highlight rather than hide the cracks they are joining, beautiful for it.
Prentiss and Landry wrestle with their own demons of childhood trauma and in Landry’s case torture, would Landry’s wordlessness have ceased had his older brother shared with him his dreams of their mother coming and walking him up and the crushing sadness when he woke and realised that she was still gone? Would Prentiss have found more inner peace if like Landry he had dived in a fountain, learned to love nature and learned to knit?
And what of Caleb raised with all of the adoration and overprotection of being an adored only child of his mother and a semi stranger to his father? August raised with pride, expectations and an arrogance in his name and station that he dare not forget or veer away from.
What life could Isabelle and George have had with other partners? How could Isabelle have coped with everything meted out to her without the deep female friendship from Mildred that later became a kind of comradeship on top of their existing friendship. Isabelle’s growth throughout the novel was authentic and compelling and I was left aching for more when I turned the last page. Many female characters written by male authors only make it feeling 95% authentic, all of Harris’ characters are the full 100%. His ability to empathise is clearly one of his major strengths as a writer.
I have made up my own endings to many of the strands in the story, my favourite being Clementine and Elsy finding Prentiss again and I can see Isabelle’s fountain and feel Landry’s approval and pride in it every bit as much as he felt for the socks.
Nathan Harris wins points from me for including knitting, especially my beloved sock knitting. It is a love language all of its own and it is utterly timeless and without boundary. Man or woman, black or white, living in the 19th, 21st and any other century stretching back to Ancient Egypt knitting has provided peace and meditation while also providing warmth and conveying love.

Better than any debut novel has a right to be' - says Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winner and New York Times bestseller
I couldn’t agree more and can’t wait to read more from Mr Harris!