After leaving her son’s grave behind in Montgomery, Alabama, Delilah Evans has little faith that moving to her husband’s hometown in Pennsylvania will bring a fresh start. Enveloped by grief and doubt, the last thing Delilah imagines is becoming friends with her reclusive Amish neighbor, Emma Mullet—yet the secrets that keep Emma isolated from her own community bond her to Delilah in delicate and unexpected ways.
Delilah’s eldest daughter, Sparrow, bears the brunt of her mother’s pain, never allowed for a moment to forget she is responsible for her brother’s death. When tensions at home become unbearable for her, she seeks peace at Emma’s house and becomes the daughter Emma has always wanted. Sparrow, however, is hiding secrets of her own—secrets that could devastate them all.
With the white, black, and Amish communities of Sinking Creek at their most divided, there seems to be little hope for reconciliation. But long-buried hurts have their way of surfacing, and Delilah and Emma find themselves facing their own self-deceptions. Together they must learn how to face the future through the healing power of forgiveness.
Eminently relevant to the beauty and struggle in America today, The Solace of Water offers a glimpse into the turbulent 1950s and reminds us that friendship rises above religion, race, and custom—and has the power to transform a broken heart."
Author: Elizabeth Byler Younts
Length: 368 pages
Format: paperback, e-book, audio book
The cries of a broken mother's heart.
The cries of a sister who can't shake the blame.
Can forgiveness be found?
Let's start with what I enjoyed about this book, shall we?
I LOVED the diversity of this book! How interesting to see the social exchanges between two VERY different families in a tough time in history.
I LOVED the writing style of this book! It was so lyrical and once I GOT started I found myself flipping through the pages rapidly.
At first the change in P.O.V threw me off, but the further I got into the story the more I enjoyed it.
Now let's dive into some topics that were dealt with.
SECRETS were a HUGE part of this book. On top of that, they were drawn out and our imaginations were left to run wild and draw our own conclusions.
HATRED played another huge role. Whether self hatred or hatred of other people I could feel the emotion oozing out of the page.
RACISM was woven inside every twist and turn. Welcome to the 1950's...sadly!
PAIN that was internal. The cries of a mother's broken heart. The cries of a sister who feels she is to blame.
HEALING & FORGIVENESS finally showed their faces when you thought they wouldn't.
Some things I had issues with.
Everything being drawn out was a key factor in why it took me almost a month to finish the book.
The racism and hatred were another reason!! I read fiction to laugh and be transported into a perfect little fairytale world. I forget that there really were heart wrenching stories like this one in history. So to be hit in the face at every turn with a mother hating her daughter, and hating everyone who looked at her,and all the judgement that was coming from her P.O.V was ROUGH to say the least.
It was a VERY deep book, one that is GREAT for an older audience or people who have personally faced some of this loss. Seeing as I haven't and I'm more of a lighthearted history lover, this book wasn't quite my speed. I really wanted to love it because the premise sounded amazing and I really enjoyed the writing style, but I couldn't.
I personally rated it a 2/5 stars. Though I know this book has the power to change someone's life!
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review**I was not required to give a positive rating**All opinions are my own*
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