Publisher: Little Brown, June 15 2021

Format: Ebook

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, a profound debut about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever.

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.

Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. The young men, recently returned from the war to the town of Old Ox, hold their trysts in the woods. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos, including a murder, unleashes convulsive repercussions on the entire community. In the aftermath of so much turmoil, it is Isabelle who emerges as an unlikely leader, proffering a healing vision for the land and for the newly free citizens of Old Ox.

With candor and sympathy, debut novelist Nathan Harris creates an unforgettable cast of characters, depicting Georgia in the violent crucible of Reconstruction. Equal parts beauty and terror, as gripping as it is moving, The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances.

My Review:

Thanks Little Brown for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: The Underground Railroad and Southern USA history.
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This book was quite complex with multiple character perspectives and more plot than I expected. There are two brothers who are now free after the civil war and they end up working on the Walker farm. The Walker’s just found out their son died in the war, so they are grappling with their grief.
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The book shows what it was like and the unrest in the south after the war and during the Reconstruction phase. I really appreciated being able to read from the multiple perspectives; it added a lot to the story!
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CW: war, violence, death, beating, racism, homophobia, sexual content.