“Every year the literary press praises dozens if not hundreds of novels to the skies, asserting explicitly or implicitly that these books will probably not be suffering water damage in the basements of their authors' houses 20 years from now. But historically, anyway, that's not the way the novelistic ecology works.” IfsWayYearsBookSufferingHouseWaterNovelSkyPraisePressesDamageDozenEcologyBasements Author:Lev Grossman
“Whether it's Mrs Dalloway's lost love or Thérèse Raquin's burgeoning horror, The Paying Guests reminds us of every great novel we've gasped or winced at, or loudly urged the protagonists through, and it does not relent. . . . The Paying Guests is the apotheosis of [Waters'] talent; at least for now. I have tried and failed to find a single negative thing to say about it. Her next will probably be even better. Until then, read it, Flaubert, Zola, and weep.” DoeNextLostWaterNovelTalentHorrorNegativeGuestsLost LoveProtagonistsGreat NovelsMrs DallowayZolaApotheosis Author:Charlotte Mendelson
“Monkey Beach is a moody, powerful novel full of memorable characters. Reading it was like entering a pool of emerald water to discover a haunted world shivering with loss and love, regret and sorrow, where the spirit world is as real as the human. I was sucked into it with the very first sentence and when I left, it was with a feeling of immense reluctance.” WorldFirstsHumansRealCharacterFeelingsSpiritReadingLeftWaterLossPowerfulNovelRegretSorrowAnd LoveSentencesBeachMemorablePoolImmenseMonkeysEnteringMoodyReluctanceEmeraldsSpirit WorldMemorable Characters Author:Anita Rau Badami
“Each story, novel, poem and play presents a vision of the world that illuminates the dark cave of life we stumble through. We can see better where we're going, what sudden drop to avoid, where the cool water is running.” WorldPlayStoriesRunningWaterDarkVisionNovelCavesCool Water Book:On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance Source: On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance
“I'm not conscious of my own themes as I write first drafts, no, and in fact, I work hard to stay in that unconscious space and not ask myself what the novel is about or what my metaphors might mean because then, I think, you're just dead in the water.” ThinkingWritingFirstsMeanHardFactsMightAsksWaterMy OwnSpaceNovelHard WorkConsciousMetaphorThemeUnconscious Author:Laurie Foos
“Movies, novels, TV shows - these are the water fountains of today. We thirst for stories which speak to us by representing us, but we go to the water fountains in the centre of town looking for that, and we're turned away, sent to the ghetto.” StoriesShowsTodaySpeakWaterNovelTvsTownsThirstTv ShowsCentreFountainGhettoRepresentingWater Fountain Author:Hal Duncan