Water - Hardback

‘A perceptive, moving exploration of guilt, grief and complicity’ – Sunday Express
‘Boyne does not put a foot wrong in this masterly novella’ – Mail on Sunday
'An intriguing investigation of contemporary trauma... [a] short but powerful book' – Guardian
'His quietest novel... but one just as powerful as his larger canvases' – Business Post

From million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne comes a masterfully reflective story about one woman coming to terms with the demons of her past and finding a new path forward.

A Story of Escape and Reflection

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. She is not the notorious woman on the run from her past. But scandals follow like hunting dogs.

Vanessa has some questions of her own to answer:

• If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, how complicit was she in his crimes?
• Can she truly escape her old life when the choices she 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. Can you ever truly wash away your past?

What readers are saying:

• 'A scorching, devastating tale'
• 'Powerful, challenging and beautifully written’
• 'Compelling, propulsive, and completely immersive’
• 'Written with the same emotional intensity and thought-provoking honesty as his longer works’