This is deeply impressive, with rich imagery, a complex and absorbing plot and a style reminiscent of John Fowles' The Magus. It is a tale of a privileged, liberal family with a driven head, a wife who tries to smooth relationships and two headstrong siblings. Into the mix comes our innocent narrator who holds the whole thing together while seemingly appearing to damage the entire family. Through African politics, Italian indulgence, strange mysteries, art and deception, the big canvas unfolds in an imaginative, highly satisfying read. He won the Whitbread (now Costa) Prize for Fiction with The Chymical Wedding.
Judging Panel Fiction Uncovered 2011: ‘Clarke’s family saga is a book with enormous sweep: with a story that takes us from working class Yorkshire to cultured Umbria, and to a newly independent West African state.
As war-reporter Martin Crowther arrives in Umbria, still raw from a recent assignment in Africa, and from a failing love affair back home, a storm hits and the sky opens. Things are powerfully on the move inside him too as he comes to the small village of Fontanalba, on a mission to track down two friends from a lifetime ago. Adam and Marina are the estranged children of his mentor, Hal Brigshaw, who is nearing the end of a turbulent life and wants to summon them home.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
As war-reporter Martin Crowther arrives in Umbria, still raw from a recent assignment in Africa, and from a failing love affair back home, a storm hits and the sky opens. Things are powerfully on the move inside him too as he comes to the small village of Fontanalba, on a mission to track down two friends from a lifetime ago.
The Water Theatre features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Books of the Month, Family Drama, Book Club Recommendations, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback. Not Available.
The Water Theatre was written by Lindsay Clarke and published by Alma Books Ltd
The Water Theatre has 435 pages
