We Are Water - Wally Lamb

We Are Water

By Wally Lamb

  • Release Date: 2013-10-22
  • Genre: Family Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 877 Ratings

Description

“A mesmerizing novel about a family in crisis.”— Miami Herald

A disquieting and ultimately uplifting novel about a marriage, a family, and human resilience in the face of tragedy, from Wally Lamb, the New York Times bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed and I Know This Much Is True.

After 27 years of marriage and three children, Anna Oh—wife, mother, outsider artist—has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her success. They plan to wed in the Oh family’s hometown of Three Rivers in Connecticut. But the wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora’s Box of toxic secrets—dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs’ lives.

We Are Water is a layered portrait of marriage, family, and the inexorable need for understanding and connection, told in the alternating voices of the Ohs—nonconformist, Anna; her ex-husband, Orion, a psychologist; Ariane, the do-gooder daughter, and her twin, Andrew, the rebellious only son; and free-spirited Marissa, the youngest. It is also a portrait of modern America, exploring issues of class, changing social mores, the legacy of racial violence, and the nature of creativity and art.

With humor and compassion, Wally Lamb brilliantly captures the essence of human experience and the ways in which we search for love and meaning in our lives.

Reviews

  • A bit disappointing

    3
    By Long legion
    I've been quick to read everything lamb writes and usually am engrossed in the characters. This book just didn't make me want to care about any of the characters. There was something about this book that was disappointing. I felt as if it were somehow disjointed and for the first time I was looking forward to the end of one of Lambs novels.
  • Wally Lamb never disappoints.

    5
    By Jimmy6421
    I couldn't figure out where the story was going in the first couple chapters, but in Wally Lamb fashion, everything came together to form a deep and somewhat disturbing, unforgettable novel.
  • disturbing

    2
    By Midge0710
    I loved the story but had such a hard time with the horrific acts committed on a child by one of the characters. The details Lamb gives, chapters long, reminded me of news articles where there is a warning to the reader advising of graphic contents. So terribly and horribly disturbing and just unnecessary.
  • We are Water by Wally Lamb

    5
    By Jachooooo
    I absolutely adore this man's work. He never disappoints. I find myself reading his work more slowly than usual because I never want the book to end.
  • Not worth the investment

    1
    By AmyZuko
    I kept waiting for the story to become interesting but it never did. The ending was highly disappointing.
  • Stereotypes

    2
    By etphonehome2882
    This book has just about every stereotype included in it. Started off ok, but couldn't finish it due to all the melodramatics and judgements being shoved down my throat.
  • WE ARE WATER

    4
    By mbbeachgirl
    We Are Water explores guilt and responsibility, and family relationships in all their humanity. Although this book takes a while to sink its teeth into you, once it does there is no letting go. Though some of the events eventually seem overly dramatic and unrealistic for one family to have weathered, suspending reality is no problem. The story is compelling, meaningful and intense. Thanks Mr. Lamb
  • Not his best...

    3
    By crunch
    I was so looking forward to this book. The story kept promising some great payoff that it never really delivers. Goes off on various roads that you think may lead to something but never does. It is not another This Much I Know Is True. Having said that, it is read able and you could do alot worse.
  • Sample started on chapter 10!!!!!

    1
    By A gonzo
    This is the first time ever I have downloaded a sample, and it starts in the middle of the book!! I will not buy a book, unless I read it from the beginning and decide if I want to read the whole thing. Just like if I picked it up in a bookstore and read the first chapter and decided to buy it. I guess I will not be buying this from apple........way to go. Nice decision....not!!
  • Love this book

    5
    By 紐約虎媽
    Love the details of the story, the relationship between husband and wife, parents and child moved me.