The Taste of Water

Both humorous and serious in equal measure, The Taste of Water reveals David Worthington’s perspective on the human spirit. Written from the author’s reflections and observations of life, readers will be dying to know what happens next in this unpredictable satire.

The story follows two lifelong friends who have worked together in their home town until redundancy changes their lives. Both have practical outlooks and thought-provoking ideas – some radical, others downright absurd – and a comic interchange between them and their natural humanity shines through.

Alfred, a disillusioned Christian, describes himself as a ‘seeker of the Truth’. He enjoys a happy family life and gets by on a modest pension until he receives a mysterious spiritual communication that drives him to define his enlightenment. But progress is severely tested…

Bernard’s home life is made miserable by his shrewish wife. His view of modern life is one of distrust, his personal frustrations and prejudices fed by the divisiveness and injustice he sees everywhere – to the point where during moments of depression the only consolation he can find is with his dog. When he takes the plunge into divorce, it’s not long before he finds himself in another relationship crisis that provokes much soul-searching.

The Taste of Water offers a sense of the ridiculous as seen in the writing of Tom Sharpe, while providing an Alan Bennett-like down-to-earth realism.