Is there anyone who doesn't fall in love with John Boyne's work? I know there must be. No author is universally loved and praised. But I've never met nor heard from anyone who thinks anything other than awe at his work. And I'm so glad to see that this is only book one in a planned series.

It's a difficult book for me to fully review to be honest. Short and concise but beautifully created. It's a book that you can feel rather than read about. And so this review is short, in the hope it might whet your appetite enough to read it and experience it for yourself.

With a small page count and unassuming front cover, this book hides a deeply moving story written by a powerhouse of the written word.

It is tender and sensitive. John is an author who knows how to write beauty. Literal beauty, as well as the beauty in danger, the weather, the natural world, the houses, the land - it's got so much poetry about it that I don't see in anyone else.

It's a very introverted piece of writing, very subtle. It doesn't follow the plot vs character debate (as my readers know, I prefer character development over plot). Instead, it plods along - in the best way - allowing you to get enveloped in Vanessa's backstory, her current, her regrets, her dreams etc. There are other characters from her past and her new present, and they all add a little thing to the story, but this is Vanessa's story and she holds your attention from the very start to the very end.

It isn't the easiest book to read. I don't mean that in the actual way it's written being difficult. But there are some difficult subjects, and in a book less than 200 pages long, it means it gets intense in parts. John hasn't hidden from that, it's all there in black and white, we can see the damage it does and the repercussions, they're not sugar coated or watered down. They're there and they're hard. But he's managed to balance that without it being too graphic. I'm not sure how he's managed that balance, that sensitivity, but he excels it. Surprisingly, amongst all of that, there are moments of fun and humour and romance.

As with the others of his I've read, it'll definitely go on my recommendations list.

Water, the novel by John Boyne, is an incredibly short book which I read on the plane, and it packed a punch.

The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past.
But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes?
Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all.

I've never read a John Boyne book before, but I can say that the writing is accessible, and his words really strike you in such little sentences. The story itself can be dark, but relevant, however not depressing. This is a complicated story about delusion and grandeur. An uplifting tale about one woman’s isolation and how grief is dealt. The torture that things aren't always as they seem and the dynamics between the characters are human. Boyne writes in such a comforting but grappling way that hits home and puts things into perspective.

It didn't take me long to read this and Boyne left me taped to the page. I'm looking forward to reading the rest in the series.

Water by John Boyne is a novella and part of series of four which will be published in six monthly intervals. It is beautifully written, thought provoking, hard hitting and gripping from the outset. It is the story of a woman running from her past life and trying to find solace on a small island off the coast of Ireland. She changes her name and appearance, and initially has little to do with the local community, instead she spends her time close to nature, sleeping, swimming and reflecting on her turbulent past. She observes interactions between the islanders and very gradually learns to trust again. She reveals her dark secret only to find it was not as hidden as she thought.
This is a beautiful book, he draws his characters with such skill, showing us their strength and fragility as they live their normal and somewhat complex lives. It is a sharp and concise story about women, men, family, power and a myriad of other aspects of modern Irish society,
John Boyne is one of our best Irish writers and this latest work confirms this. He writes with a deep understanding of the human psyche. This is a must read and I am looking forward to his next instalment in this series.

I am a huge John Boyne fan and will read anything he writes. As usual I loved this short story. Water is a beautifully written and moving novel that explores themes of guilt, redemption, and forgiveness. Boyne's prose is elegant and evocative, and his characters are complex and relatable. Willow is a particularly well-developed character.
Water is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a well-written and thought-provoking story. It is a novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

This novella by the wonderful Boyne tells the story of ‘Willow’, a woman in her fifties who travels to a remote Irish island in order to come to terms with a recent scandal involving her husband.

As always the writing is superb, there are glimmers of humour throughout, especially in the interactions with her new neighbours, but overall was an emotional read dealing with grief and guilt

This novella sees Boyne return to what I consider his greatest strengths - meditative and moving drama shot through with lovely moments of humour.

Water focuses on Vanessa, AKA Willow, a woman trying to escape grief and trauma by moving to an isolated Irish island.

The subject matter here is pretty dark, but, as ever, Boyne never lets it become depressing. The most interesting idea for me in the book is the idea of complicity, and how often we choose to delude ourselves or 'look the other way' when we instinctively know something is wrong. The book's protagonists are tortured by this idea but Boyne never paints things as black and white, and all of the characters, whether sympathetic or not, bleed off the page as undeniably human.

I’m not sure how the author does it but he blows me away with his writing every time, and with every book I love his writing that little bit more. When you’re reading his books you are just totally immersed and invested in the characters and the story and this story is no different. This story just feels so personal, you can feel the emotion in every sentence, whether it’s love, anger, guilt, sadness and at the end a glimmer of hope and happiness. This story maybe short but it is perfectly formed and manages to convey its message like a shock straight to the heart. This book will honestly stay with me for some time as I remember this small Irish Island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

A woman arrives on a remote Irish island, fleeing her past in Dublin. She changes her name and her appearance but will this be enough to ensure continued sanctuary?

Like many of Boyne’s books, ‘Water’ deals with themes of guilt and complicity and it manages to do it very well in just under 180 pages. Although the subject matter is grim, this was a pleasure to read, due in part to the glimpses of Boyne’s dry wit, and his beautiful prose.

A perfect book club pick!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the author's note to "All the Broken Places", one of John Boyne's earlier novels, he talks about a recurring theme in his work being "guilt, complicity and grief". In "Water", Vanessa Carvin/Willow flees Dublin to a wild remote island. There she tries to make sense of the tragic events that unfolded in her immediate past. She must deal with her grief compounded by feelings of guilt and the nagging question of her own complicity or otherwise in the tragedy. Although it is hard to review without giving spoilers, I highly recommend John Boyne's "Water". Special thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for a no obligation advance review copy.

I really enjoyed this and read it in one sitting, fully immersed in the tale. It's a simple enough story, and wisely not complicated by unnecessary sub plots, although there are plenty you might like to know more about. Willow Hale, as she now calls herself, has moved to a small island off the coast of Ireland and intends to live a simple life as a recluse until she feels better, if that ever happens. It's a beguiling fantasy, to take yourself away from life and live a basic existence, but of course she does get to know the locals and does reveal something of herself to them as it's a small village and open to new people. Willow's back story is revealed slowly but isn't done in that irritating coy way that some writers adopt where you have to desperately guess whats happened all the way, to have it all revealed in the final chapter. No, this reveals itself naturally as Willow faces up to what's happened and starts to recover from it piece by piece, until she has a grip back on her life. Boyne's writing puts you right there, alongside Willow as she does this, with simple details that show the passing of the months she spends in the tiny cottage on the island. A master storyteller, as they say, he makes a simple story very gripping

Water is a novella by award-winning, best-selling Irish author, John Boyne. Not long after her husband Brendan is put in Midlands Prison, and with many people believing she was complicit in his crimes, Vanessa Garvin flees Dublin and goes into self-imposed exile in an austere cottage on an island off the Galway coast. She shaves her head and uses a version of her maiden name: Willow Hale.

Her elder daughter has died; her younger daughter intermittently blocks her on social media, when she can check it via the town’s unreliable Wi-Fi; she’s visited by an imperious cat that she’s later told not to feed:
“‘You can’t feed him,’ she tells me. ‘He has irritable bowel syndrome.’
‘He wasn’t wearing a medical bracelet,’ I reply, ‘Anyway, I’ve only given him a few bits and pieces. Some leftover chicken. A few saucers of milk.’ ‘
And he’s lactose intolerant.’”

Willow remains stand-offish with the locals to ward off closer exchanges, but some of them are fairly persistent; she believes they don’t know who she is, but later learns that she’s not as anonymous as she thought. She spends her time sleeping, going for long walks, watching nature, listening to small-minded locals, swimming, reflecting on what has happened and if she should have seen it.

She has interesting theological and philosophical discussions with the young Nigerian priest; she observes the interactions between the townspeople. Two of those she meets, she feels she could trust with the recent events in her life that brought her here. The exact circumstances, both of her husband’s incarceration, and her daughter’s death, are gradually revealed.

Encounters with some of the islanders have her recalling certain episodes, interactions and comments made: “It’s those f***ing men. They still run everything and look out for each other, no matter what. I hate them. Don’t you? And it’s women like us who allow it to happen. Because staying quiet is easier than causing a fuss, isn’t it? Sometimes I think we’re just as bad as they are.”

Despite the grave subject matter, Boyne manages to include some, often dark, humour. Ultimately, Willow concludes: “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.”

Boyne’s descriptive prose is often exquisite: “You wear your loneliness like an overcoat”; the observations he gives his characters are succinct and insightful: “There are widows. And widowers. And orphans. But there is no word to define a parent who loses a child. The language is missing a noun.” A short read that certainly packs a punch.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld.

‘Water has been the undoing of me…Water kills’

From the very first line of this novella John Boyne hooks you in. Vanessa Carvin is a woman on the run but who or what is she hiding from? Told in the first person the narrative hints at the demons which lay in Vanessa’s past and the ways in which water have been her undoing.

I really liked the way that the story wasn’t laid bare for us. John Boyne teases out the details of Vanessa’s past and when the realisation that you are heading towards something disturbing and uncomfortable hits, you are gripped and you can’t look away.

Once the horrors of her past are revealed we realise the motivation behind Vanessa’s journey to the island. She is questioning her own culpability in the events and attempting to make peace with herself and the past. As Vanessa considers whether she was complicit in what happened, we are also left considering what constitutes complicity and how responsible are we for the actions of those close to us?

Alongside Vanessa’s own plight there is the island and its inhabitants, who also have their own demons. The portrayal of the island and it’s landscape is vivid. In comparison the isolated community which it accommodates feels claustrophobic and institutional, restricted by its prejudices and customs.

It’s a compelling story, expertly told. I absolutely loved it and I’m looking forward to the next instalment in this novella quartet.

This John Boyne fan struggled to get a feel for this one. I was unmoved by both story and characters.

John Boyne has created another masterpiece with his latest novel 'Water'.
When a woman from Dublin arrives on an island off the Galway coast her first act is to change her name. Subsequently we find out why she is looking for a break and follow her path in dealing with a recent family tragedy. This book is about family, religion, community, forgiveness, guilt and many other themes. John Boyne brings them together with his exquisite writing style in this short novel. I would highly recommended it to others.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the ARC.

The first thing Vanessa does when she arrives on the tiny, remote island off the west coast of Ireland is change her name. The second thing she does is cut her hair. She is eager to shed her former identity, anything which ties her to her past on the mainland and to the unspeakable things her husband did. But the solitude of the island forces her to confront her own choices, and she realises she must reckon with her past before she can face the future.

John Boyne has a gift for writing beautifully, painfully human characters, whose stories break your heart and leave you feeling bereft at their conclusion. His writing has made me empathise with a closeted gay Irish man and a tortured Catholic priest, characters whose experiences couldn't be much further removed from my own, thanks to his talent for using a singular story to comment on society and to highlight universal truths about family, love and identity.

In Water, Boyne uses Vanessa/Willow's story to highlight the harm that continues to be perpetuated because of the conservative, repressive and misogynistic culture that dominated Ireland until relatively recently. Through the main storyline, but also through other minor subplots, Boyne exemplifies the ways in which men were, for generations, excused for toxic, criminal behaviour thanks to their superior position in the eyes of society, while women judged, blamed and shamed, even in situations where they were the victims. Particularly interesting is Vanessa/Willow's struggle to navigate a shifting social landscape: within her lifetime women have been told to keep quiet and 'stop pouring dirt on a good man's reputation' and then been held accountable for the actions of men, with people demanding that they intervene and, once again, blaming them for enabling men's abusive behaviour.

Vanessa/Willow is a layered, engaging character. Though her particular circumstances are unique, in many ways she is a typical middle-aged, middle class Irish woman of her generation. She married fairly young, gave up work to raise her children and, now that her marriage is over and her children no longer depend on her, she must try to remember who she once was, and consider what she wants the rest of her life to look like. She is very cognizant of her flaws and failings, and I found her gradual reckoning with them fascinating and relatable. There is an every-woman quality to her which allows the reader to imagine how they would feel if their life took the turns hers did, and if they would make the same choices.

There are brief references to Father Odran Yates, protagonist of Boyne's novel A History of Loneliness and the aforementioned tortured priest, and to the events of that story, and there are certainly similarities between the narrators, both of whom are navigating guilt over their proximity to - and perhaps complicity in - men committing terrible acts.

Vanessa/Willow's voice is at turns devastatingly sad and wryly funny. Boyne writes grief so accurately and eloquently, and yet always manages to find moments of joy and humour to offer solace in a narrative built around tragedy. Of particular note is the main character's casual relationship with a younger islander, who is of a different generation to her and her husband, and thus has a completely different attitude towards women and sex. The depiction of their relationship is light, enjoyably uncomplicated and a refreshing antedote to the toxic masculinity on display elsewhere. Boyne also writes a funny but tender portrayal of a small island community, though he is not uncritical of the its insular, prejudiced nature.

At just 176 pages long, Water is a very accomplished novel: it crafts a compelling, intriguing narrative with fully-realised characters, while also providing a in-depth social commentary. I was particularly impressed by how authentic Vanessa/Willow's voice felt; so often there are moments with male authors where I am taken out of the story thinking, 'A women wouldn't do/say/think that,' but Boyne's portrayal feels honest and realistic. This book is another triumph.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Absolutely wonderful. Sublime. I love this author's work. His characterisation is amazing and I just love the small Irish island setting in this one.

Another sensational story from the sublime John Boyne, this time as a novella. As an author, Boyne just has a way of destroying all your emotions without you even realising it till the last minute and this is very much the case here.

A troubled aftermath of one woman’s struggle to survive the guilt and shame from her husband’s unforgivable treachery through self inflicted Isolation, solitary banishment and purgatory : a journey to expunge the stain of her potential awareness or blindness to his actions responsible for a tragedy of mammoth proportions for several families including her own. A difficult read as an observer of an individual’s path from regret to self forgiveness if not absolution. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Water sustains. Water destroys.

In this riveting novella John Boyne tells the story of Vanessa Carvin who is in desperate need of time, distance and space to reflect on her life, which has taken a catastrophic turn. She opts for a simple cottage on a small windswept island off the coast of Ireland. The separation created by the water provides a temporary sanctuary from the maelstrom she leaves behind on the mainland. The same water that had so devastatingly ravaged her family.

Her now estranged husband, a former national swimming coach, has committed horrendous crimes (trigger warnings). Deep down, how aware was Vanessa of this man’s proclivities? How complicit and culpable was she in not identifying and calling out his monstrous tendencies and so possibly preventing some or all of what occurred? She questions her own acceptance while craving being accepted.

Vanessa must try to come to terms with the shocking upheaval that she and her family have experienced, in order to reset her life and move forward.

The story is told in the present, wholly from the confines of the tiny island, where all the islanders, replete with preconceptions and prejudices, know everyone else’s business, interspersed with flashbacks to the events that led to Vanessa’s arrival. Boyne explores to what extent we are tainted by association and answerable when those close to us commit a wrong, and whether hearing someone is enough, when actively listening and taking responsibility could lead to a different outcome. Patriarchy at the family, community and institutional level all come under Boyne’s searing scrutiny.

The setting is exposed and isolated, the imagery vivid, the emotions intense, the characters compelling, the storytelling engrossing.

I finished the 176 pages all too quickly. Fortunately, Water is the first in a four-novella series, The Elements, so there is much still to anticipate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the opportunity to read and review an eARC.
Water is published on 2nd November 2023.

Beautiful writing once again from John boyne. Loved how the unassuming title came together throughout the book. Perfect novella