VERARITA WANANYANGA

This is the second most memorable book I have read this year, whose characters have refused to leave my heart and my mind. Set in the dead of the Civil War. Two brothers, Prentis and Landry formerly slaves, “gain their freedom” after being set free by the Emancipation Proclamation. What do you do when the gates of freedom are set open before you, and you are now a free man after living in slavery all your life? When being enslaved is the only life, you know, despite your unwavering thirst for freedom. For the two brothers (black), the most urgent goal is to put together enough money so they can head north, away from Georgia’s Old Ox town, in search of their mother who their former owner had long sold when they were just boys. Parallel to the brothers’ story, is the story of two Confederate soldiers(white), August and Caleb, and their forbidden romance. The war and its devastating impacts. In my weak heart, I wished these two pairs stayed as far as possible to each other’s lives, because then poor Landry would never have to suffer the tragedy of witnessing their escapade in the woods. The lives of the slaves as told by Harris, the racism that abounds and the violence meted on them, is a thing of raw pain! Harris’s powerful, lyrical prose will have you glued to this tale from the very first page. He captures your whole mind, body, and soul, such that you are living in the cotton plantations, reveling in the water fountain, swimming in the river, getting the whip on your back, escaping a fire-razed town, and living like a fugitive in the thick of the forest in the dead of night. The imagery, the vivid description, the metaphor, and the masterful storytelling, in The SWEETNESS of WATER, so perfectly cover the complexities of race, identity, family, humanity, hatred, love, pursuit of justice, redemption, and healing. It is so beautiful, yet so terrifying, so bright, yet stark dark! The compellingly unforgettable characters are worth writing home about. They are such that even those who play minor roles are yet so important for the story. The deaths in here will hurt. Harris has killed quite a number of important characters; he will make you sad and even angry. I cried for Landry! I would have really wished for more meat in the ending. I would have loved to hear more of how Caleb and Prentis ended up, and even Clementine. I am however so happy for Isabelle who despite not having her two feet set on the ground much, at the beginning, ends up as such a heroine, a leader of sorts, leading in restoration efforts and continuing the dreams of her husband, and giving hope amidst such troubled times of restoration! May we in life, enjoy the sweetness of water, may our fountains never quit, may they run without ceasing, in all weather, in all seasons, may our fountains endure!