The Waters (novel) explained

The Waters
Author:	Bonnie Jo Campbell
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Genre:	Family saga
Publisher:	W. W. Norton & Company
Release Date:	January 2024
Media Type:	Print (Hardback)
Pages:	400
Isbn:	978-0-393-24843-2
Dewey:	823

The Waters is a 2024 novel by Michigan author Bonnie Jo Campbell.

Plot

On an island in the middle of a swamp in Michigan, a family has lived for generations.The matriarch, Hermine Zook, is a healer and herbalist who inspires fear and hope in the people of the local town, Whiteheart.Living on the island with her is her granddaughter, Dorothy, who is a budding mathematician and herbalist.

List of main characters

• Hermine "Herself" Zook – Herbalist and eccentric matriarch of the Zook family
• Primrose "Prim" Zook – Herself's daughter, a lawyer
• Molly Zook – Herself's daughter, a nurse
• Rose Thorn Zook - Herself's daughter, beautiful and lazy
• Dorothy "Donkey" Zook – Rose Thorn's daughter, a budding mathematician and herbalist
• Titus Clay, Jr. – Rose Thorn's love interest, a farmer

Reception

The novel was chosen as a Read with Jenna January 204 Book Club pick.^[1] Ron Charles of The Washington Post described it as "pure magic".^[2] The Los Angeles Times' Jane Smiley described the novel as "earthy" and a "thought-provoking and readable exploration of eccentricity and of all different kinds of love".^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: "The Waters" by Bonnie Jo Campbell Featured as Jenna Bush Hager's January 2024 Book Club Pick!. July 12, 2024. July 12, 2024.
2. News: Bonnie Jo Campbell's 'The Waters' is pure magic. . December 27, 2023. July 12, 2024.
3. Web site: An off-the-grid herbalist hits the skids in an earthy new Bonnie Jo Campbell novel. . January 3, 2024. July 12, 2024.