This Is The Water
by Yannick Murphy
Why did you choose this book? the story is about a swim mom
When did you read this book? July 2014
Who should read this book?
Source: TLC Book Tours
At a swim meet in their quiet New England town, Annie watches as her daughters glide through the water. Her thoughts drift lazily from whether she fed her daughters enough carbs that morning to why her husband doesn’t kiss her anymore, to Paul, a swim-team parent, who’s taken notice of her and seems to embody everything she’s beginning to think her life is missing.
When a girl on the team is murdered at a nearby highway rest stop—the same spot where Paul made a gruesome discovery years ago—Annie and her fellow swim-parents find themselves adrift. With a serial killer too close for comfort, they must make choices about where their loyalties lie. And as a series of shocking events unfolds, Annie must discover what it means to follow her intuition—even if love, as well as lives, could be lost.
My Review
This one had me from hello! Well, it had me from “This is the water.” anyway! I LOVED the writing style in this. At first it felt a little ‘sing-song’, like the ‘this is the house that Jack built’ story. But it wasn’t long at all before it felt like I was immersed in the ebb and flow of the story, just like a swimmer in the water! I also loved all the ‘swim mom’ details! As a long time swim mom, I recognized all the swim mom types, the concentration on times, the concession stand draw… Disclosure: Yes, I DID spend 6-½ hours watching my swimmer in the water less than 10 minutes this past weekend!
But in addition to the writing, I also enjoyed the story. This one was hard to put down! From the synopsis we knew a swimmer is found murdered, and we learned early on who the killer is. What we didn’t know is if he would kill again, if he would be caught in time, or how he might be caught. I also enoyed the interaction between swim families and the tension of the less than perfect marriages, and how the murder affected the different relationships. And I really liked the way the story was resolved, though it may not be totally realistic. But that leaves lots of room for book club discussions!
If you read through some of the other reviews, you will find that not everyone loved the wrting style as much as I did, but most agree that the story is worth reading. So if you pick up this book and get hung up on the writing style, keep pushing through it. This is a story worth reading! (For an example of the writing style, take a look at my post from Tuesday, July 29.)
About Yannick Murphy
Yannick Murphy is the author of The Call; Signed, Mata Hari; Here They Come; and The Sea of Trees, as well as two story collections and several children’s books. She is the recipient of a Whiting Writers’ Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Award, a Chesterfield Screenwriting Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the Laurence L. & Thomas Winship/PEN New England Award. Her work has appeared in The Best American Nonrequired Reading and The O. Henry Prize Stories. She lives in Vermont with her husband and children.
My Rating: ★★★★1/2 4-1/2 Stars
This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I received a copy of the book in return for an honest review, which you can read above.
Yannick’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, July 29th: The Scarlet Letter
Wednesday, July 30th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Thursday, July 31st: WildmooBooks
Tuesday, August 5th: Doing Dewey
Wednesday, August 6th: Bookfoolery and Babble
Thursday, August 7th: Time 2 Read
Friday, August 8th: Sweet Southern Home
Monday, August 11th: cupcake’s book cupboard
Tuesday, August 12th: BoundbyWords
Tuesday, August 12th: Book in the Burbs
Wednesday, August 13th: Great Imaginations
I do like the sound of this one Kim -- nice review.
ReplyDeleteI am a hockey mom so my experience is a little different but I HAVE attended swim meets for my niece so I've had a taste of the swim mom life. I'm glad that it was portrayed so successfully here and that you found so much to relate to!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour!