".....each man, woman, and child on bondage was free to go" The emancipation of slaves under President Lincoln showed of course have changed the country and its citizens to a more equal and just land.
As we know from most recent events the issue of colour, prejudice and violence still lies across the wide land of 'the free'.
There have been many novels about the freedom of slaves which have moved from the white ruled cotton fields to the ancestry of slaves.
This novel has a small detailed focus. Because of that I think it has an immense quiet quality of literary skill, There is great description of the surrounding land of George Walker, trying to farm alongside his wife Isabelle. But we meet him under the burden of news of his dead soldier son Caleb, as he, like so many characters, escape to the wild woods of towering trees and mystical lakes alongside the furrowed fields that try to propagate cotton or peanuts. The first chapter is emotional, poignantly sweeping the main theme of the story yet with George and the two freed slaves, brothers Prentiss and Landry comes a deep friendship that will bind the following pages.
The language is subtle but strong noting the description of the time. Slaves may have been freed from their chains but the residents who had lost the war and their privilege still see themselves as the powerful masters of all. They have left or try to hold on with few 'slaves' their homes - 'Majesty's Palaces' and across the Old Ox town life has done little to catch the tide of political change.
I felt myself totally there with the characters and upset at each hardship that began to unfurl. Perhaps the twist of an unknown love that forced the later deaths was placed too obviously but it provided the division of family, friendship and financial authority to split the small society apart at its seams. Grief and its consequences brought tears to my eyes.
Characters were all superb and I liked the placing of Isabelle and her widow friend to do as did so many others when men leave to struggle and fight in wars - carry on with hope.
Not sure if this is a first novel but I will look out for others by this author.

Set in Georgia in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, this powerful novel delves into the experience of ‘Emancipation’ from the point of view of two formerly enslaved brothers, Prentiss and Landry. While living in the forest close to their old plantation, they meet George, a white landowner and first class loner who has just heard that his son, a Confederate soldier, was killed in the war. A connection between the men develops, and George hires the brothers to help him enact his vision for his land; he pays them a fair wage and treats them well, which upsets the deeply racist local community. George’s wife, Isabelle, is wallowing in grief and unable to communicate with her husband, but she does welcome Prentiss and Landry into her life.

There are several plot twists, and I thought it was a gripping read -- but this is largely a character study of four men and one woman who recognise their own frailties and weaknesses but still show extraordinary courage during a tumultuous and dangerous time. I grew to love all five of these main characters -- the precise details and multi-layered insights into their thoughts meant that by the end of the novel they felt like family. The visceral descriptions of Georgia landscape, especially George’s land and forest, made the land almost a character in its own right. The language was rich, evoking profound themes, as with this internal dialogue from Prentiss: ‘The present thunders on while the past is a wound untended, unstitched, felt but never healed’.

I am a quick reader and often race through novels, but like an expensive glass of wine, I quickly realised this is a book to savour. I let the words, images and emotions swirl around my head and heart – leading to tears rolling down my face several times. It is poignant, but not depressing as there is always a nugget of hope that helps the characters to endure.

Overall, this is an unforgettable, evocative novel. It is hard to believe that this is debut from Nathan Harris. You can be sure that I will be reading anything he writes in the future.

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!