"Water has been the undoing of me. It has been the undoing of my family. We swim in it in the womb. We are composed of it. We drink it. We are drawn to it throughout our lives, more than mountains, deserts, or canyons. But it is terrible. Water kills."

Vanessa Carvin is looking to escape the hell her life has become. She moves to an Irish island with a population of 400, changes her name, and shaves off her hair in the hope that no one will recognise her. This is her time for reflection. The questions she needs to answer are whether she is complicit in her husband's horrific crimes, or whether she is responsible for her daughter's suicide.

This short book is the first in a quartet by the author based on the four elements. Brief as it may be, it packs a punch. It's about whether we can forgive ourselves our sins, about escaping abusive and controlling men, about whether finding peace is possible after grief. It's moving, beautifully written and definitely worth a read. My only criticism is that I feel it could have been a bit longer, giving it a bit more depth, and the reader to know the protagonist just a little better.

Vanessa Carvin is a woman on the run from her past. She moves to a remote island off the coast of Ireland where she shaves off all her hair and assumes a new identity.
Gradually it becomes clear what she’s running from: the guilt and shame she feels about having been married to a man who has been exposed as a serial abuser of young girls. Was her eldest daughter, who committed suicide in mysterious circumstances, among them? And were there warning signs that she missed or refused to see?
In the seclusion of the island she wrestles with the demons from her past.
As with all of Boyne’s novels, the writing is superb but when I got to the end I felt a little short changed – it seemed there should have been more to the story. I actually turned back to see if I’d accidentally missed a few chapters!
Turns out Water is the first in a quartet revolving around the theme of the elements. The next in the series, Earth, is due out next year, so I’m going to reserve judgement for now and hope Boyne finds a way to pull it all together.

'Water' by John Boyne. I really enjoyed this short novel! I really rate Boyne as a writer and loved 'The heart' s invisible furies". This novel is set on an unnamed island off the coast of Galway where the protagonist is trying to escape her life in Dublin and the scandal that engulfed her family. This could have been boring or clichéd but it's neither. It's told very simply and with restraint and I loved the main character and her interactions with the other islanders and her daughter. This felt really authentic and I would really recommend it. Thanks @netgalley
5*

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This novella was short but powerful with well written characters despite the length of the story. We meet Vanessa as she arrives in a remote Irish island, we don’t know what has led her there but bit by bit her background is revealed. Dealing with challenging events from a different perspective this read explored the question of personal responsibility for wider groups. Interested to see how the rest of the elements build on this story. Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the ARC

This is an exceptionally enjoyable story of a woman dealing with life changing circumstances. The setting is beautifully described; the colours, sounds and smells of the landscape come to life and add so much to the narrative. The characters are diverse, believable and so interesting. Although it’s a short book and a quick read, it certainly packs a punch. I’m never disappointed when I read a book by John Boyne.

My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this latest from one of mt favourite authors.

“Water has been the undoing of me. It has been the undoing of my family. We swim in it in the womb. We are composed of it. We drink it. We are drawn to it throughout our lives, more than mountains, deserts, or canyons. But it is terrible. Water kills.”

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Water’ by John Boyne.

This is the first in Boyne’s Elements, a quartet of interlinked novellas based on the four classic elements of matter.

Vanessa Carvin arrives on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland and immediately changes her name to Willow Hale. She reinvents herself as an outsider looking to escape Dublin and live a hermetic existence in a small cottage. She crops her blonde hair, ditches her makeup, and dresses differently. Basically putting distance between herself and her past.

Boyne slowly reveals Willow’s backstory including why she has left her old life behind and the reasons for her husband’s incarceration. Before his arrest he had held a prominent position as the Director of the National Swimming Federation.

During her year on the island Willow finds healing through reflection and her interaction with the islanders, many of whom have secrets of their own.

I have always admired Boyne’s writing. His prose is both economical and lyrical. He has the ability to create believable characters that are very easy to relate to. Boyne also clearly knows cats as here Willow’s occasional feline visitor, Bananas, steals every scene he is in.

Throughout the book water in its many forms is incorporated into the story: the body of water that separates this tiny island from the larger one, the torrential rain that lashes her cottage, the holy water in the font at the local church. Swimming and boating also feature.

Throughout water serves as a metaphor for renewal and rebirth. Even the name that Vanessa adopts ‘Willow’ is a tree that often grows near water and has associations with water in folklore.

Overall, I found ‘Water’ an outstanding work of literary fiction, beautifully written and multilayered. In it Boyne doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable subjects as he recounts Willow’s journey.

Having read this moving novella, I look forward to the next in the quartet, ‘Earth’, due to be published in May 2024.

As ever, this is a hard-hitting, makes you feel all sorts of things book from John Boyne. I wonder what it’s like for the author to write such emotive books?

It’s a short book but it packs a punch, following Vanessa/Willow as she moves from Dublin to a remote Irish island to escape the aftermath of her husband’s trial. The story is told in two narratives, from present day and chronologically from the past, but it’s done so seamlessly you hardly notice.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Vanessa arrives on a small island off the Galway coast having fled from Dublin after her husband has been jailed for hideous crimes.

A beautifully written short story looking at the aftermath of this sensational news story and Vanessa’s struggle to survive the guilt and shame.

I love Boyne, all his books are beautifully written and this one is no exception. I adored this, such an intriguing read right from page 1. It’s a dark read but there is humour and light too.

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this, I would def recommend and it’s out now!

Vanessa Carlin retreats to an isolated island cottage, cuts off her hair and changes her name to Willow.

This short book delivers a lot in a short space.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Another stunning novel from John Boyne; this time of a 54-year-old woman who has fled to a small island off the coast of Galway to escape a scandal in her family; a husband in prison for terrible crimes in which she may have been complicit. She changes her name from Vanessa to Willow, chops her hair short, and tries to disappear. Her only surviving daughter, Rebecca, refuses to answer Willow’s texts and keeps blocking her number. Her reflections on what went wrong and why and her part in it are revealed piece by piece. Boyne’s characterisation of Willow is subtle, powerful, immersive, and his use of water imagery as both cleansing and dangerous masterful. Through Willow, he once again explores confronting and deeply human issues in a novel that is as perfect as it is short. Thank you to the publisher and author for a digital ARC.

A woman in her fifties, changes her name and comes to an island trying to accept everything what the life recently brought her.
I loved the book. The slow paced story is so beautifully written, analysing the person's emotional inner life in the new place and connecting it with her previous experiences. She is trying to reborn from the ashes to the new life.

I absolutely loved this book and was so sorry to finish it. It explored a very topical subject from an unusual angle ie the effect on the abusers family. John Boyne writes so well it brings the place and people alive.Great characters.

When Vanessa’s life collapses, rocked by a devastating revelation, she flees Dublin to an island off the coast of Ireland and changes her name. But our past is never far behind us and, rather than allowing her to forget her past and leave mistakes made behind her, her rugged isolated setting, and the people she encounters there, force to her to delve further back into her past to confront the demons at the root of recent revelations; the things we don’t see and the things we choose not to see. This is a story of family secrets, of broken people and heartache within broken families; beautifully written, both poignant and bold, but covering some dark and triggering themes. As often happens in books where characters relocate to remote places, the unexpected connections Vanessa makes on the island, fleeting or more prolonged moments of some connection or a shared understanding, form a subtle yet important part to this story’s unfolding.

Water is the first in a four-part series of books to be released at 6 month intervals, each taking one of the elements as the core binding factor in the book. Vanessa flees to a place beside the water, but water is also at the heart of her recent and more distant troubles, while also playing a role in the healing she so desperately seeks. I love this series concept and look forward to reading the next three books.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC.

Another powerful, thought-provoking and creative read from John Boyne. This is the first of a quartet of novellas each taking the name of the four elements, and they'll be released every six months.

The story begins with Vanessa changing her name to Willow.

She has left Dublin for a rented cottage on an island, seeking to escape her life to come to terms with all that has happened in the previous few months and years. In doing so, though, she comes to realise that she may have been complicit in what took place.

Her husband was a swimming coach who has been convicted of abusing the young women in his charge. Did Vanessa really not know what was taking place? And how did she keep her family safe?

Vanessa, or Willow, has to confront what she did and did not do, and whether she can ever make peace with herself.

This is a beautifully written, poignant and challenging read. Forthcoming books in the quartet will follow the lives of other minor characters in the book, telling their stories as they are confronted by abuse in their community.

A difficult subject, sensitively handled, John Boyne is a fascinating writer.

This is a profound character study that examines themes of guilt, complicity, and ignorance. It provides a strong metaphor for the behaviour of Ireland as a whole. It's a short read, but is powerful and has an ending filled with hope. Well executed and a thought-provoking read.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

A gem of a little novel. A woman arrives on a small Irish island, changes her name and moves into a remote cottage. We discover from what she is escaping and we watch as she makes tentative connections with the community and her own daughter. This is a deeply moving and lyrical novel. Highly recommended and quite beautiful.

I didn’t expect this to be as gripping and as haunting as it was. I have been absorbed from the second I picked it up.

Willow Hale, formerly Vanessa Carvin relocated her entire life to a remote island, and Boyne keeps us guessing as to why for the first half of the book. When we find out the reason why, it angered me - I would 100% check the trigger warnings before picking this book up.

Despite the emotional topic, Boynes storytelling has me captivated, and I really felt as if had experienced all the same emotions as Willow.

Short, snappy, (far from sweet) but entirely un-put-downable.

Thank you netgalley/randomhouse for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

For such a short book, “Water” really does pack a punch. When Vanessa arrives on a small island off the Irish coast, she immediately goes to great lengths to hide her identity. As she attempts to settle into island life, we learn more about what prompted her flight and how the repercussions of these events continue to impact her daily life.

Vanessa is such a complete character, and the storytelling is exquisite. The author doesn’t shy away from the more difficult parts of the narrative but handles them with real sensitivity. To deal with so many substantial themes so concisely and thoughtfully is a real skill, and further cements my opinion of the author as someone quite brilliant at discussing important topics while being in no way heavy handed.

I would heartily recommend this book, as well as this author, and look forward to reading more by John Boyne.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

My first John Boyne novel and it didn’t disappoint!
This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish it, heartbreaking, amusing, thought-provoking and so much more.
I really enjoyed the dual timeline, following main character as her new persona Willow, and Vanessa, the person she once was and is desperately trying to leave behind.
It is a brilliant read and so we’ll executed, I’ll have to delve into more of Boyne’s writing!

A short but profoundly moving story.

Thanks NetGalley & Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Doubleday for the ARC.

Synopsis –

Vanessa is running away from her life in Dublin. Seeking refuge on a remote Irish island, she renames herself as Willow Hale and wants nothing but an inconspicuous life of solitude in her small cottage. Unable to completely free herself from the vicious hands of the scandal, she must introspect about her past, her complicity in everything that transpired, the loss she has suffered, the grief and guilt she must now live with. Does she have any hope of finding peace?

Review –

Only a literary genius like John Boyne can accomplish what he has in this novella of 160 pages. As I went in blind, I found it all so bizarre to see this middle aged lady who is trying to escape her city life in a small island, changing her identity, trying to clear her head with the ocean air and long walks.

But as Vanessa’s narrative progresses, the veil is slowly uncovered, her past city life is neatly laid out, her journey of motherhood unraveled. And let me tell you, the gravity of her circumstances shook me to the core, shocked my senses and broke my heart.

Boyne’s character development is perfection. His richly evocative prose describes Vanessa’s troubled marriage, her enormous motherly guilt, battle with an impossible dilemma, poor choices, the kind of loss and grief no mother should ever have to suffer.

Discovering the significance of the title “Water” was of course the spotlight. Water has the power to give life, nurture life as well as take away life and this theme deeply resonates in the story of Vanessa - as she reflects upon how water has ebbed and flowed leading her to this point in her life.

It also bears significance on how she chooses to embrace her future with a hint of hope and redemption. Believe it or not, I loathed Vanessa and cheered for her at the same time through to the ending.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies is one of my top reads this year and this one has made me fall in love all over again with Boyne’s writing prowess and masterful storytelling.

I now can’t wait for the other 3 elemental books – Earth, Air and Fire planned in this exquisite quartet.

Highly recommend.