Water
Boyne, John
The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past. But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes? Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all. Penguin, Random House. Taken from book blurb
Comments from BDS Reviewers
"For such a little book, it contains a very big story."
"Exceptionally well-written; spare and direct."
"Willow's development as a woman is satisfying and credible as she overcomes her trauma."
"The people are beautifully and sympathetically drawn - a credible, wide range of characters."
"An ideal book for discussion with themes of compassion, guilt, shame and trauma."
"An uncomfortable and confronting read that throws a harsh light on the all-too-frequent abuse of young people."
176
2023