Forget everything the publishing world has put out about The Water Cure. Chances are it is nowhere close to being an accurate picture of the novel. For one thing, it is not similar to The Handmaid’s Tale in any way. For another thing, there is nothing feminist nor vengeful about the story or the characters. If I have to compare it to another book, it is most similar to Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed, but even that is doing Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel a disservice because it sets up expectations that the story does not meet.
In talking to a friend about The Water Cure, I said it was beautiful and haunting but confusing and weird, and that is how I still feel about the story. There are no explanations about the outside world that satisfies readers. We learn nothing about the family’s backstory that would help make sense of the refuge offered to women, the cures used, and why. What little we do learn is disturbing, especially when you remember that the publisher is marketing it as a feminist revenge fantasy.
The only reason I opted to finish the book is due to the writing. It is beautiful and evocative. Capable of hiding the most brutal behavior behind poetic descriptions, Ms. Mackintosh’s prose holds your attention. Unfortunately, it also camouflages the flaws in the story until the end, when you are left to wonder what exactly you read and why you finished it.
I am sure there are going to be those readers who will think The Water Cure is one of the best new releases of 2019, and that’s great for them. For me, the cult-like aspect of the family with its cruel lessons about love is not something that impresses me. There are better books out there that also explore family and love and gender relations and do so in a way that does not frustrate you with gaps in the story or nebulous clues requiring you to fill in those gaps. The writing may be excellent, but it is not enough to overcome the story’s paltry plot and weak characters.
This is actually such a relief because I didn’t want to read this, and I am excited that your review gives me a reason not to. IDK like — everyone wants to compare everything to Handmaid’s Tale these days, and it doesn’t tend to be a good comp for most of those books. Also cause I am kind of living in a dystopian country. I am not feeling the dystopias as much as I once did.
I would love for you to hate-read it though. I would love to know your thoughts!
I kept reading thinking there was going to be an answer to at least some of my questions. It could have been a much more satisfying book if there had been.
Yes. The lack of answers and the fact that there is too much open to interpretation makes it a no-go for me. I still wonder how someone can compare it to The Handmaid’s Tale though.
Yeah this has received quite a bit of hype or so it seemed …. didn’t Atwood write a plug for the book cover? It seems a bit weird for me and maybe thin? Not sure if I should try it or just pass …..
It did receive a lot of hype, and yes, Atwood did write something for the cover. I think my problem is that I didn’t know whether certain descriptions were metaphorical or truth. When the novel mentions that men were harmful to women’s health in this world, does it mean in the general sense that men tend to be harmful to women’s health via violence or in the literal sense? The story means different things depending on how you interpret that. I have since read something from the publisher that states it is in the literal sense. I don’t think I would like the story any more than I did, but knowing that does change some of my thoughts.
Yikes. This sounds like a hard pass – but I totally would have fallen for it.
The publisher did a good job of making it seem much more enticing than it is.
You know I wholeheartedly agree!
I do indeed!
Sounds like a pass to me. I haven’t seen it anywhere else. Had I not read your review though the cover would have grabbed me.
The cover is gorgeous, isn’t it?