Sarah Moss’s Summerwater is a haunting, introspective novel that explores the lives of families trapped together in a gloomy, rain-soaked Scottish holiday park. Through brief, quiet glimpses into each character’s inner world, Moss captures the loneliness, frustration, and hidden sadness that simmer beneath the surface.

While the writing is beautiful and atmospheric, the story can feel heavy and bleak, with little relief from the tension. It’s a well-crafted but somber read that won’t leave you with warm feelings. Three stars for a poignant, moody exploration of human isolation and longing.

"Summerwater" is the second novel I have read by Sarah Moss, and while it is very different in tone from "Ghost Wall", both (in my opinion) suffer from having spent the entirety of the book building to a 'shocking climax' which ultimately, feels disconnected from the preceding 95 percent of the writing.

We don’t get so much a story than many individual characters’ perspectives on their own disappointing holiday – nothing much happens a lot more than twice… In this form, the narrative can be revealing and occasionally funny but ultimately, other than the ‘drama’ of individuals’ internal monologue on their disappointment with a rather damp holiday, nothing particularly dramatic happens. Until the final ‘shocking climax’, then the book ends.

I hate to be negative about a novel that is obviously written by someone of talent but it feels that there was so much more that could have been said or done using this set up, and indeed, "Summerwater" often feels that it was just about to do that, but never quite does.

Sarah Moss's Summerwater is a haunting and suspenseful novel set in a remote Scottish cabin park on the longest day of the year. Twelve strangers, all on vacation with their families, find themselves trapped by unrelenting rain and their own unease as they observe one another's quirks and indiscretions.

Moss's writing is spare and precise, yet she manages to evoke the complex emotions and relationships of her characters with great skill. We see the world through the eyes of each character in turn, from the anxious mother of a young child to the retired couple struggling to cope with their own mortality.

As the day progresses, tensions rise and the sense of foreboding intensifies. The arrival of a new family, with their strange clothes and manners, only adds to the atmosphere of unease.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This is such a stunning novel that captivates the reader from the first page to the very last. Set in a remote cabin park in the Scottish Highlands, the novel follows the interconnected stories of several vacationers spending a rainy day in the summer season.

What sets this novel apart is Moss's beautiful prose and her ability to capture the innermost thoughts and feelings of her characters. Each character is complex and multifaceted, with their own hopes, dreams, and struggles. As the day progresses and the rain continues to fall, tensions rise and secrets are revealed, making for a gripping and emotionally resonant story.

Moss also masterfully weaves in themes of isolation, loneliness, and the longing for human connection. Despite the characters being surrounded by others, they are all struggling with their own sense of isolation and the challenges of truly connecting with those around them.

Summerwater is a beautifully crafted novel that offers a poignant and insightful look into the human experience. It is a must-read for anyone who loves powerful storytelling and deep character exploration. Sarah Moss has cemented herself as a master of the craft, and Summerwater is a testament to her exceptional talent.

This is the first book by Sarah Moss i've read and I absolutely adored it. She creates and describes environments so vividly, and this was eerie and unputdownable. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Summer water was a very interesting and deep read. I found it a bit unnerving and unsettling but I absolutely love Sarah Moss writing style. She writes atmosphere so well!

A beautiful and intelligent novel that manages to cover so much about humans and modern life in such an apparently simple story. I was concerned about the ‘pandemic’ aspect of the novel but my fears were allayed; this is so much more than a ‘pandemic novel’.

Summerwater is absolute perfection, a masterclass in characterisation and storytelling. Sarah Moss is so incredibly skilled to create such a compelling novel from the bones of something so simple. Obsessed.

If Sarah Moss rewrote the dictionary, I would read it. Probably more than once. But having said that, Summerwater is no dictionary. It is a marvel of insight into the attitudes of contemporary Britain which, even in the hands of a less talented writer, would still be pretty bloody excellent. But in the hands of Sarah Moss? Perfection.

Mapping the course of a day in a Scottish holiday park through the eyes of its guests, Moss captures each group - married couples and families, all of different ages - as they try to make the best of their mostly rained-off holidays. Jumping between characters means that the novella (at just over 200 pages) feels well-rounded and gives a fair perspective for each of the separate groups; except for one.

Moss' writing, as always, is evocative and relatable - her characters are vividly written, with personalities everyone can recognise. As the tension builds towards the end of the book, the realisation that Moss has been planting clues all along becomes clear. Her masterful writing once again creates a suspenseful atmosphere, almost unnoticed until it's too late. Intertwined with the character stories are depictions of the nature surrounding the holiday park, highlighting the beauty and isolation of the setting.

The novel gets its name from a poem recited within the book by own of the characters ‘…a lost city of Summerwater (Semmerwater), deep asleep till doom’. During a torrential downpour on one long summer’s day holidaymakers in turn share their deepest thoughts on their lives and commentary on others. Outside the cabins the author exquisitely describes the dark beauty of the loch and the surrounding landscape.

There is an intersection late in the novel when the protagonists finally meet and the reader is no longer a confidante but instead becomes a witness to tragedy. Highly recommend.

An interesting work but I did find it difficult to get into and then strugged to maintain interest. The characters were a real mix so it wasn't always something I felt invested in.

I always said that when I started my #bookstagram page that my reviews would be honest...but it’s never fun to write a bad review. Whilst I enjoyed the differing situations each character was in, the polarising point of views from each and of course the beautiful front cover, this book was a bit of a struggle for me. I think I’m quite a traditionalist so that lack of speech marks around character’s conversations left me a little lost. The writing was full of description which I appreciated but I didn’t feel that this book went anywhere. I really hope others who have read this have felt differently and that maybe this is simply not my style of book.

This short book/novella was pretty intense.

Short character analyses interspersed with descriptions of nature worked really well. I enjoyed the gloom of the rainy Scottish setting. It really made for the story.

This was my first novel by Sarah Moss but it will definitely not be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for ARC.

How have I never read any Sarah Moss before? How have I missed such an extraordinary writer? The interweaving of so many disparate stories into a cohesive whole, bringing to life many personal histories, structurally this should feel contrived and disparate, yet the effect is anything but. Instead it’s a near perfect patchwork of scenes that form an ominous and claustrophobic whole, building tension skilfully until it inevitably boils over. Stunning.

Sarah Moss's writing just keeps getting better. In this novella we're introduced to a whole cast of characters through a series of vignettes, all taking place in the course of a single day in a lochside cabin park in the Trossachs. In a mere two hundred pages Moss manages to make you feel like you know these people intimately; their innermost thought, their motivations, their dreams, their biases, so when the dramatic climax arrives, the shock is visceral. Brilliant.

Summerwaters tells the events of one rainy day at a Scottish Lochside holiday park, from the perspective of the guests staying there.

Sarah Moss is a master of the 'stream of consciousness' style narrative and although we only meet each character for one chapter, detailing a tiny snippet of their day, she manages to create characters which we feel like we know and can intimately relate to. The mood throughout is claustrophobic and unsettling, and keeps you on edge throughout whilst also being inviting and and familiar.

There are various social and political issues explored throughout which are acutely relevant to modern Britain. The vignettes between chapters were also a beautiful addition which offer an ethereal look into the landscape of the Scottish countryside.

This is the first Sarah Moss I've read but it won't be the last!

Not for me, I'm afraid. The blurb suggested this book has a plot, but by 30% of it, during which the characters have discussed how loudly they pee, how often they defecate, and what they fantasise about during sex, there has been no glimmer of one. So I've abandoned it - the trend for plotless musings about bodily functions is one I hope will soon pass.

This novel looks at a few days on a holiday centre, The rain never stops as people question who they are and question each other. A taut intellectual investigation of people’s everyday lives which show the devastating effects of racism, isolationism and climate change. A page turner which you will read in one sitting.