Book Review – For The Mercy Of Water

by Karen Jayes (Penguin) ISBN 978-0-14-353021-3

This is no ordinary story and most of the time the meaning eludes me. A lot is left to the imagination of the author. I did glean from the novel that there was a shortage of water and there are guards who are ruthless and in control of the water supply.

An unexpected rain leads a group of water security guards to an abandoned town. They find an old woman, identified only as Mother, and a group of girls in a classroom. A journalist, two aid workers and a doctor arrive and what they discover soon afterwards shortly afterwards defies ordinary explanation.

When strange dislocated fragments of Mother’s story appear in the media, a young writer is intrigued enough to set off on a journey to find out about Mother, a journey that takes her deep into the heart of broken country in search of a truth that no one wants uncovered.

It is not possible to enjoy this novel. It is totally without meaning and I read it to the end hoping to find some logic in the story. This is one of the most unreadable stories I have ever come across.

Dee Andrew
1/5

Posted on: 24th August 2012
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