The Waters is a 2024 novel by Michigan author Bonnie Jo Campbell.
| Author | Bonnie Jo Campbell |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Family saga |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
Publication date | January 2024 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 978-0-393-24843-2 |
| 823 |
Plot
On an island in the middle of a swamp in Michigan, a family has lived for generations.The matriarch, Hermine Zook, is a healer and herbalist who inspires fear and hope in the people of the local town, Whiteheart.Living on the island with her is her granddaughter, Dorothy, who is a budding mathematician and herbalist.
List of main characters
- Hermine "Herself" Zook – Herbalist and eccentric matriarch of the Zook family
- Primrose "Prim" Zook – Herself's daughter, a lawyer
- Molly Zook – Herself's daughter, a nurse
- Rose Thorn Zook - Herself's daughter, beautiful and lazy
- Dorothy "Donkey" Zook – Rose Thorn's daughter, a budding mathematician and herbalist
- Titus Clay, Jr. – Rose Thorn's love interest, a farmer
Reception
The novel was chosen as a Read with Jenna January 204 Book Club pick.[1] Ron Charles of The Washington Post described it as "pure magic".[2] The Los Angeles Times' Jane Smiley described the novel as "earthy" and a "thought-provoking and readable exploration of eccentricity and of all different kinds of love".[3]