The Sweetness of Water

DONNA EVERHART, THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

"Harris's characters are multifaceted, absorbing, and extraordinarily well-developed. They transport the reader into a difficult time of complex social problems, with situations that elevate the tension with each turn of the page. As more layers of the story unfold, Harris's captivating and shrewd prose dissects individual motives, revealing vulnerabilities and thereby exposing the characters for who they are, and what they have become ... Harris creates a fascinating and compelling look into the Civil War era by taking a well-known aspect of the period, the Emancipation Proclamation, and candidly depicts the confusion in the aftermath of the new law on slave owners, and the slaves themselves. In a tumultuous time of instability and uncertainty, Nathan Harris brings to the foreground humanity's aptitude for survival, compassion, and goodwill even in their darkest hour."

MARI CARLSON, BOOKPAGE.

".. paints a timeless portrait of warring factions seeking peace. ... Harris draws readers into this sense of longing by exploring silences: George's meditative hunts, Landry's muteness, Caleb's hidden trysts, Prentiss' pent-up anger and Isabelle's secluded mourning. Insinuating dialogue, delivered with eloquent Southern reserve, and hostile eruptions between the Walker household and the Confederates explore the flip side of silence ... Celebrating all manner of relationships that combat"