Time 2 Read: Review: The Solace of Water

The Solace of Water

by Elizabeth Byler Younts

Why I chose this book? The title called to me

When I read this book? July 2018

Who should read this book? Readers of period fiction or Amish fiction

Source: TLC Book Tours

My Rating: ★★★½ 3½ Stars

Here is a synopsis of The Solace of Water from TLC Book Tours

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 5, 2018)

“Younts has set herself apart with this exquisite story of friendship and redemption . . . I’ll be talking about this book for years to come.” —Rachel Hauck, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress

In a time of grief and heartache, an unlikely friendship provides strength and solace.

After leaving her son’s grave behind in Montgomery, Alabama, Delilah Evans has little faith that moving to her husband’s hometown in Pennsylvania will bring a fresh start. Enveloped by grief and doubt, the last thing Delilah imagines is becoming friends with her reclusive Amish neighbor, Emma Mullet—yet the secrets that keep Emma isolated from her own community bond her to Delilah in delicate and unexpected ways.

Delilah’s eldest daughter, Sparrow, bears the brunt of her mother’s pain, never allowed for a moment to forget she is responsible for her brother’s death. When tensions at home become unbearable for her, she seeks peace at Emma’s house and becomes the daughter Emma has always wanted. Sparrow, however, is hiding secrets of her own—secrets that could devastate them all.

With the white, black, and Amish communities of Sinking Creek at their most divided, there seems to be little hope for reconciliation. But long-buried hurts have their way of surfacing, and Delilah and Emma find themselves facing their own self-deceptions. Together they must learn how to face the future through the healing power of forgiveness.

Eminently relevant to the beauty and struggle in America today, The Solace of Water offers a glimpse into the turbulent 1950s and reminds us that friendship rises above religion, race, and custom—and has the power to transform a broken heart.

My Review

This was a quick read and an interesting read.I’ve read Amish fiction before, and enjoyed it, but it often seems like it’s the same story with different characters. This book definitely did not pick that pattern! One of the three main characters IS Amish, but the Amish community played a minor role in the story. Instead, the Amish character, Emma, interatef mostly with her African-American neighbors, Delilah and her daughter, Sparrow.

This is a story of friendship and moving through grief, but what really struck me about this story was the setting—a northern state in the 1950s. Delilah and her family moved from Alabama, where the Jim Crow laws spelled out very clearly that Delilah and her family were not to enter certain spaces, and if they did, there were consequences. So Delilah was very surprised when she came to the north, where there were no ‘whites only’ signs, to find that the rules were sitll there, but ‘understood’ rather than spelled out. It was difficult for her to learn the new rules.

The end of the book left me hanging. I feel like I know what happens with Delilah and her family, but I feel like I don’t really know what happens with Emma and how her issues will be resolved.

This would make a great book for book clubs, particularly those that are looking for a book with a ‘christian’ slant. Some of the topics to discuss could include 1950s race relations, Amish communities, grief recovery, etc.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Elizabeth Byler Younts

Elizabeth Byler Younts gained a worldwide audience through her first book Seasons: A Real Story of an Amish Girl and is a RITA nominated writer. She is also the author of The Promise of Sunrise series. She has consulted on Amish lifestyle and the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect two award-winning television shows. Elizabeth lives in Central Pennsylvania with her husband, two daughters, and a cockapoo named Fable.