The first book in the Elements series by John Boyne. Wow I really don’t know how to review this book to give it the justice it deserves. All I can say is this is a fabulous and at times heartbreaking read. It’s one that is difficult to review without giving away spoilers. It starts with a lady leaving her home in Dublin and renting a cottage on an isolated island off the west coast of Ireland. As we progress through the book we learn of why she has done this. Again another marvellous read by John Boyne and now I’m diving straight into the second book of the series.

After the scandal that hit her family, and after the death of one of her two children, Vanessa moves to an Irish island where she changes her name to Willow and tries to find herself in the midst of her grief and the guilt she can’t avoid to feel.
I truly enjoyed this book, which is also the first I read by John Boyne (and definitely not the last). It touches on very important themes, but it does so with a delicate hand, and such a poetic and emotional style. I loved the secondary characters, these people who have lived on the island all their lives or who, like her, have only moved there to escape their past. I loved the cat Bananas, and his quirky owner. I also really liked the Nigerian priest. I truly believe that the greatness of a novel often stands in the way its secondary characters are depicted, and it’s definitely true for Water. I’m very curious to read Earth and Fire.

*thanks to #netgalley for the #arc given in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely love John Boyne’s books and The Heart’s Invisible Furies goes into my Top Ten books of All Time. I was so excited to see he has written a series of short novels called The Elements. Water is the first in this series.

This novella is only 161 pages long. It can easily be read in one sitting. Despite the number of pages, this book really packs an emotional punch.

The story centres around Vanessa Carvin. Having fled her home in Dublin she’s arrived on a tiny, isolated island off the Irish West Coast. She’s changed her name and cut all her hair off in an attempt to remove all traces of her previous life.

Slowly the reader learns why Vanessa has left everything behind. Soon, you start to understand more about her drastic actions.

These 161 pages are packed with a powerful and moving tale. The writing is beautiful and the character of Vanessa is so authentic and real. You can’t help but feel her pain, guilt and emotions in such depth that it leaves you breathless.

Absolutely wonderful book and I totally recommend it.

John Boyne can be exceptional as a writer and he can 'miss' somehow ... pleased to say that this is one of the better: eloquent, almost lyrical in its depiction of Willow and her trauma.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Can you ever truly fix the consequences of past mistakes?

Vanessa Carvin escapes to a remote island off the coast of Ireland to escape the fallout caused by her husband’s scandal. She changes her name to Willow Hale and slowly starts to integrate herself with the locals. Will she be recognised? How will people judge her if they find out who her infamous husband is?

John Boyne never disappoints. I’m loving this new series and presume we’ll have Fire to follow Earth and Water.

Rony
Elite Reviewing Group

I apologise for this review being so late. Unfortunately, my health has prevented me from posting my reviews timeously.

Beautifully written, evocative and unravels in such a way we can bear its sadness .. until redemptive ending .. poetry spread out into prose .. I could not put it down, and, unusually read to end .. once started, you're going to be 'stuck'. Wonderful

John Boyne is a wonderful writer and this short novella is written with his typical warmth and wit and his characters and descriptions are always so perfectly observed and so wonderfully Irish. Like many of his previous books this novella deals with uncomfortable events, no doubt inspired by revelations and scandals that have come out in recent years. Boyne takes the unusual approach of dealing with such fallout through the eyes of the wife of a swim coach convicted of abusing young girls. Through the course of this short work the wife tries to come to terms with such unimaginable revelations. Although it is short it packs an emotional punch and Boyne’s wonderful way with words ensures that, although the subject matter is difficult it was a joy to read. It is a story of love and loss, trauma, grief and acceptance. Trigger warning: this book features themes of child sexual abuse and suicide.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Who is Willow Hale? When Vanessa Carvin arrives on an unnamed Irish island, she changes her name to Willow and shaves her head. Can she simply disappear or will her past follow her? ‘Water’ by John Boyne is first in his Elements quartet. It is a small book with a powerful story.
Vanessa is escaping a truly horrendous time but at heart she knows she must acknowledge the choices she made throughout a difficult marriage. On the island she hopes to escape notice, but few people live there and everyone is curious about the newcomer. Her landlord is invisible, her daughter Rebecca is ghosting her messages, her nearest neighbour is nosy. She does connect with local priest Ifechi, Bananas the cat and neighbouring young farmer Luke. ‘I can call myself Willow Hale till the cows come home but, underneath, I’m still Vanessa Carvin. I just can’t let anyone know.’
Slowly as Vanessa remembers, her story becomes clearer. The offence committed by her husband, what she did and didn’t do during this time. Families were broken, not only families of the victims but also the family of the guilty party. Actions have consequences. John Boyne writes with such intensity of emotion and spareness on the page, he takes you straight into Vanessa’s shoes. It takes distance, isolation on an almost empty island surrounded by sea, for Vanessa to admit what happened.
I’m intrigued to see how the books in this quartet of novellas are linked; by theme, character, setting? At the end of ‘Water,’ Willow says, ‘The elements – water, fire, earth, air – are our greatest friends, our animators. They feed us, warm us, give us life, and yet conspire to kill us at every juncture.’ ‘Earth’ is next.
Sensitive. Bold. Excellent.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again … Irish writers have my heart!

I inhaled both these incredible novellas. Boyne has a way of dragging you in and not letting go till the last, beautiful word.

These are the first two books in the quartet Elements series, and at just under 200 words, both pack a powerful punch and are simply breathtakingly crafted.

Both touch on tragic and tough subjects - in only the way Boyne can, they are evident of superb storytelling! Rich in character development and setting, you can’t help but feel engrossed, almost in love with the main characters - they beg you for sympathy, understanding, and so much more.

Both these books deftly weave and incorporate politics, marginalised communities, abuse and religion with note-perfect writing. The fact that Boyne can say so much, in so little words is what holds power.

I’ve been lucky to have read so many outstanding books this year, and these two are most deserved of all the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to @netgalley @avonbooksuk @doubledayukbooks for an advanced digital copy of both. I (of course) had to buy myself physical copies of both these gorgeous books.

Running from a past she hopes will never catch up with her, Willow seeks solace on a secluded island off the coast of Ireland. She's friendly with the locals to keep suspicions at bay and soon settles into a quiet routine. But lurking in her past is a daughter she'll never see again, a daughter who refuses to speak to her, and an ex-husband she can never forgive nor forget. Willow uses her solitude to reflect on her actions - did she play a part in her husband's crime? And if so, how can she ever live with herself?

This novel might be short in length but once again, John Boyne has effortlessly crafted characters that make a lasting impression. The story tackles a sensitive topic, using the voice of the offender's wife to build up the reveal, before internally questioning her role in the whole thing. Could she have stopped it? Was she being naive? Did she know, deep down, that something wasn't right and chose to ignore it? These moral dilemmas set the stage for the story, detailing the trauma and scandal her family faced before her escape to the island.

It's certainly character-driven but never lags or feels bogged down by internal monologues. The pacing is much like its title, ebbing and flowing, keeping you engaged from the very first page.

While family tragedy and repair is a key theme, it also touches on politics, power, male egos, religion, and community. For such a short read, the author has done an outstanding job of bringing everything together and creating a satisfying resolution. Definitely keen to read the others novellas in this series.

BOOK REVIEW
Water - John Boyne

I sat myself down to read the first of Irish author John Boyne's book quartet, Water with Earth, Fire & Air to follow soon...
A short book about 160 pages, I read this one in one sitting..
You can't go wrong with a book from this author ever.....
He writes with such passion for his stories..
I think if there was one word I would ever use for his novels it would have to be POWERFUL
He writes some very powerful stories..
We meet a woman in her fifties in this story..
She is taking time out from her marriage and her life and goes to an island off the west coast of Ireland.
The islanders are curious as to who she is and where she has come from.
But sometimes we need to step away from all we know, we need the space to process guilt, to process grief and to process blame.
Maybe a change of name or haircut will help a person feel removed from a situation to give themselves time to heal without intrusion.
I couldn't help wondering though can a person be so completely ignorant of those around them and what is happening, what they are doing. Can a person shut themselves off from something and believe its not happening if they don't acknowledge it?
I do admire author John Boyne, I always have done. I admire how he writes and doesn't shy away from topics that are hugely uncomfortable.
Excellent work, so well worth your time.

What amazed me most about this book was how the author managed to get so much in, in such a short read and yet still make it so compelling. Dark, political, concise, and utterly brilliant.

this is a complex tale of Vanessa who disappears and moves to a remote island to escape a past.
You will feel as though you have lived her life by the time you finish reading this book. It is so well written and her life is expanded so well for the reader

A moving and powerful piece of writing form John Boyne yet again.
This one poses many questions, and forces reflection from both its characters and its readers. It is learning to separate the criminal from his partner, and how the partner comes to terms with the acts that their loved one has committed?
This main character is a wife, a mother, and a woman who is simply trying to come to terms with her husband's crimes; she is dealing with the emptiness that comes as a consequence of the pain, shock, and confusion.
Absolutely gorgeously written,

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future

While I loved the idea of this book - how would we react if something dreadful happened without us seeing it in front of our noses? - "Water" simply didn't live up to expectations.

Generally, I'm a Boyne fan in the sense that I think he's a great yarn-spinner, regardless of criticisms that there are sometimes factual/historical liberties taken. However, Water" is too thin; characters are insufficiently filled out, the details of the story are sparse, and the locals on the island are lazily presented as stereotypical inward-looking types.

Boyne, you can do better than this. There is potentially a really haunting novel to be written here, but this felt rushed and superficial.

I am a huge fan of Boyne. Having read Boy in the Striped Pajama's at school I became a fan. The harrowing books he writes really touches the readers. The story starts of sharp and brutal with the FMC cutting off her hair after arriving on an Island. What is she hiding from?

The book touches on fractured families, rebuilding and more. The book was short and I felt I wanted more because he writes with so much passion, emotion and sucks the reader in. I was hooked.

I am grateful to Netgalley and Boyne for allowing me access to this ARC.

I always love Boyne’s writing and this novel is no exception. He knows how to create such thoroughly realised worlds with vivid characters. Masterful.

⭐️ 4 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Water is a short read, but it certainly isn’t short on content. I do think that because it’s only a short read, it was lacking in depth to some degree.
 
The characterisation is superb and the prose gives us a perfect sense of time and place.
 
An enjoyable read that certainly makes you think.

In 'Water' by John Boyne, a woman arrives on a small island off the West coast of Ireland and the first thing she does is shave off her shoulder-length blonde hair and change her name. What is she hiding from and what the repercussions be if the locals uncover her true identity?

All the Broken Places
John Boyne is one of my favorite authors at present as he has a wonderful ability to weave story and character into a page-turner that isn't afraid to tackle big themes. ‘All the Broken Places’ was one of my favourite books this year, a thought-provoking follow-up. to ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

As the old question asks, you can run but can you hide? Vanessa Carvin may have become Willow Hale but when you've been involved in a high-profile media case, there's always a chance that someone will work out who you are. The island might be on the opposite coast to Dublin, but Irelands not that big.

'Water has been the undoing of me. It has been the undoing of my family. We swim in it in the womb. We are composed of it. We drink it. We are drawn to it throughout our lives, more than mountains, deserts, or canyons. But it is terrible. Water kills.'

Living in a remote cottage on a small island also provides Vanessa with the opportunity to think about her past. There's a daughter who won't respond to her messages and another she can barely mention. How complicit was she in the events that led up to her fleeing to the island?

Her only visitors are a cat called Bananas and her abrupt neighbour Mrs Duggan and her son. There are two pubs she frequents, handy for phone coverage, where she keeps to herself, but the local Nigerian priest Ifechi takes an interest in her. Even if she were a believer, would being absolved of her sins be something she's interested in? The priest encourages Vanessa to see the church as a place of refuge, but does she even believe she deserves to find peace?

Boyne keeps us guessing throughout. Obviously, we learn more about her family history and the crime associated with her throughout the book, so I won't spoil that storyline. Vanessa is an interesting character, and not unlike Gretel in his previous book, Boyne creates his characters with such empathy.

At 172 pages this is a novella and Boyne does well to tell a complete story and create a believable and compelling character. And there are a lot of themes here - abuse, suicide, powerful men abusing power, conniving politicians, and complicity.

It's also about remorse, and how families are splintered by tragic events, struggling to put themselves together again, if they ever can. Can you live in the shadow of something so terrible, and how can you ever cope with the remorse that you feel? It's about trying to learn to live with yourself again.

‘We are none of us innocent and none of us guilty, and we all have to live with what we’ve done for the rest of our lives and that the only way through this terrible thing, if we are to survive it at all, is to be kind to each other and to love one another.’

The dialogue and interactions are natural and Boyne as usual excels in having a bit of humour in his story, a bit of light to balance out the dark. His storytelling skills are well-honed at this stage of his career, and it takes a certain talent to tell a full story in a novella and not leave the reader feeling short-changed. Another recent author I can think of doing the same is Claire Keegan.

Boyne is a writer at the peak of his talents and his books are a must-read for me. This is a title that tackles difficult issues with sensitivity, whilst asking thought-provoking questions of the reader and telling a story that will have you tearing through the pages. There aren't many better than doing that and John Boyne delivers again.


Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.