In the aftermath of so much turmoil, it is Isabelle who emerges as an unlikely leader, proffering a healing vision for the land and for the newly free citizens of Old Ox. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos, including a murder, unleashes convulsive repercussions on the entire community. The young men, recently returned from the war to the town of Old Ox, hold their trysts in the woods. Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief.

In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry-freed by the Emancipation Proclamation-seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, an award-winning “miraculous debut” ( Washington Post) about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever And we can do that.An Instant New York Times bestseller / An Oprah’s Book Club Pick But we have to have empathy for people who don't look like us, people who, you know, again, are from a different class. 'And I guess I want this novel and what this community faces to show that we can come together in a way. 'We're dealing with today issues of race, issues of class and the scars of the past,' he said. That's why I liked it so much, is because you get to literally look at how far we have come,' she said.Īsked what he hopes people will take away from the book, Harris commented on how much 'the past resonates' in his work. 'I think one of the things that's so relevant about the story is that you can feel the essence of what it means to have come from there to here. Winfrey explained what it was about 'The Sweetness of Water' that resonated with her. I wanna sort of not read more so I can let my imagination take over,'' Harris said. And the second I started reading them, I was almost, like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 'You know, I read a number of oral histories - oral narratives taken down from slaves talking about their experience - freed people. Winfrey asked Harris if he had studied a lot of history before writing his book. And it was almost like the gate swings open. I was thinking, 'What were those moments like,' you know? And in my mind, those two brothers are on the plantation. I mean, I feel like history class goes from the Civil War to Reconstruction. 'I wish there was a good answer for it,' Harris said.

The sweetness of water