The Sweetness of Water, Nathan Harris, author; narrator William DeMeritt
This is such a powerfully written book that the reader is immediately intellectually and emotionally captivated by the author’s prose. The history is accurate, the characters are authentically presented and their lives so carefully depicted that most soon endear themselves to the reader, many even with their idiosyncrasies. Those that are evil are marked from the beginning.
George and Isabel Walker march to the beat of their own drummer. They often speak their minds to the consternation of other townspeople. Their son Caleb follows his best friend into the army to fight for the South in the Civil War. Caleb does not behave well on the field of war, while August is thrilled by the prospect of violence. August and Caleb have had a secret relationship that is ongoing when the novel begins. August’s dad is the most influential and powerful man in town, and he has made arrangements to ensure that neither his son nor Caleb will see violence. However, in the fog of war, all things are not predictable, and when danger descends upon the boys, Caleb acts poorly. When the South is defeated and August returns home, he tells George that Caleb is dead. When pressed, he tells him he was a coward who had run from the battle and from August whom he had sworn to stand by and protect.
George likes to wander alone in the forest, searching for a beast that he believes he saw as a child. On one of these excursions, he discovers two freedmen, two brothers, Landry and Prentiss. He asks for their help to get him home. He was tired and unable to find his way. As time passes, they help him to plant a peanut farm on his property. He pays them a fair wage, like any other man, and the townspeople are so furious, they turn on George. Isabel also treats the brothers well and when confronted by the womenfolk she socializes with, she alienates them with her defiance. Isabel and George are rarely demonstrative; however, she is fiercely loyal to George even when his ways are contrary to customary behavior. The town soon turns against both of them.
The brothers are former slaves of a neighbor, and that neighbor wants them back. He pays the freedmen a pittance for the privilege of working for him, while George pays a fair wage, the same as any other man would earn. The brothers are now free. They do not want to return to Mr. Morton or his Majesty’s Palace, the place with the beautiful fountain responsible for a grievous injury to Landry, that disfigured his face.
When Caleb, returns home, not dead after all, he too bears the scars of battle on his face. With few other options, he begins to work the fields with his father and the brothers. He believes that this is another of his father’s harebrained schemes, doomed to fail. When he hears of his friend August’s impending marriage, he is devastated. They still meet clandestinely, believing they are safe from prying eyes, but it is in an area that Landry has discovered and loves. He adores water and swims in the pond there. During their lovemaking, August realizes that Landry has witnessed their forbidden behavior. If he tells, they will be shamed. He would be ruined. What follows from this accidental moment of truth is disastrous. One thing leads to another as secret, selfish deals are made with the result that someone is murdered, Prentiss is wrongfully arrested and Caleb finds his backbone. An escape, further violence and a fire bring about the conclusion of the book.
Isabel is strong and soldiers on even after death and destruction face her. She is determined to fulfill the legacy she knows George desired; she will serve the cause of justice and right many wrongs. When the book ends, it feels like there is the possibility of a sequel. There are many unanswered questions. Will Isabel ever see her son again. Will George’s confidant mistress, Clementine, meet up with Prentiss again? Will Caleb find August again? What will happen if he does, disaster or capitulation? Like George, will Caleb and Prentiss conquer their demons? They are both haunted by their dreams and nightmares. I have simplified what is an amazingly well written commentary of the times so as not to give away pertinent parts of the novel. It deals with racism, homophobia, murder, relationships, loyalty, friendship, devotion, justice and its counterpart, injustice, strength and courage, among many other important human circumstances and dilemmas.
Women and freedmen are the more noble characters in this book, with the powerful men abusing their positions and making foolish, dangerous decisions. The book is recommended by both Obama and Oprah. I usually do not read those books since they generally have a political purpose and are used as propaganda. This book is different. It is a well written commentary on the period at the end of the Civil War exposing the bitterness, the hope, and the despair of the times for the newly freed and the newly vanquished. Those no longer in power flout the newly written laws. Those who won, also flout ethics and decency, using the need to achieve their goals as an excuse for breaking the rules they are mandated to uphold. Is that not the way it still is today? Will the brotherly relationship between Caleb and Prentiss, white and black brethren, be allowed to stand, or will the powerful continue to corrupt the justice system as we move into the future? Conditions today can provide those answers. Do we simply transfer power or equalize it?
This author has genuinely captured the emotions and thoughts of the characters as they deal with the consequences of the end of the Civil War. It will be hard to read it without taking a break and a breath because the hopelessness of some, coupled with the evil of others, bears witness to how hard it is for those who believe in freedom and justice to succeed.
The freedmen lack the tools to succeed, they are meek and obedient, still fearful, but overwhelmingly grateful for the breadcrumbs they are receiving instead of the loaf they deserve. All they want is hope and the possibility of fulfilling their own dreams, just like ordinary people. There will be times you will want to throw the book against a wall in protest against the abuse and injustice, but you will be compelled to read on. The righteous are punished for their idealism, often unrealistically, while the racists are rewarded by those with the power, to continue the unjust practices of years gone by. Foolish pranks, vengeance, arrogance, obstinacy, misunderstandings, shame, humiliation and hate create havoc for everyone.
The narrator used just the right amount of stress and emotion, but often gave the same voice and accent to a particular group of Confederacy supporters. Although Obama is credited with urging us to promote our better angels, an idea taken from Lincoln’s speech in which he says “The mystic chords of memory will swell when touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”, he has been largely responsible for dividing us. Less emphasis on identity politics and more on unity would better serve an angel's purpose. In addition, the effort to frame our history in a better way, does a disservice to actual history. Accuracy and truth should be first and foremost, not a political agenda.