If you've read the book, please voice your opinions! If you haven't read the book yet and would like to ask a question about the book - please post it! There will also be a live chat with the author Karen White on Wednesday, hosted by Bridget. You can also leave a comment here for Karen if you can't make it to the live chat on Wednesday.
Summary:
On the night their mother drowns trying to ride out a storm in a sailboat, sisters Marnie and Diana Maitland discover there is more than one kind of death. There is the death of innocence, of love, and of hope. Each sister harbors a secret about what really happened that night—secrets that will erode their lives as they grow into adulthood.
After ten years of silence between the sisters, Marnie is called back to the South Carolina Lowcountry by Diana's ex-husband, Quinn. His son has returned from a sailing trip with his emotionally unstable mother, and he is deeply disturbed and refusing to speak. In order to help the traumatized boy, Marnie must reopen old wounds and bring the darkest memories of their past to the surface. And she must confront Diana, before they all go under…
The Characters:
Diana - an artist tormented by her illness, two boating accidents and a tragic curse that haunts her family. Mother of Gil, ex-wife of Quinn, sister of Marnie.
Marnie - Diana's estranged sister, a teacher now residing in the desert who returns to the Maitland homestead to help her nephew Gil. Gil will not speak after a boating accident he had with his mother, Diana.
Gil - Nine year old son of Diana and Quinn who will not speak after his boating accident. He now fears his mother and boating.
Quinn - A veterinarian who doesn't own a single animal. He has an orchid garden. He's the ex-husband of Diana - they met when he fell in love with one of her paintings, and had a son together.
Minor Characters:
Grandfather - Marnie and Diana's grandfather, a former preacher. He is in a wheelchair and cannot speak after a stroke, but communicates via highlighting passages in his bible.
Trey - a boater who was once involved with Marnie and Diana. He helps with the boat repairs.
Nursing Home Lady - a woman Diana befriends in the nursing home, a fellow artist who knows more than is immediately apparent about the Maitland curse...
Excerpts from the book:
The Memory of Water
The Demons of Memory
The Ocean is My Home
Bound to Find the Water
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Here's a question to get us started:
Water is a central theme in this novel and has a different siginificance for each of the characters. To whom is water important and why?
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Comments: 67
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Laura, try to remind me if you can, would love to make it :)
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977316007
The layout of your article looks really awesome as well, just wondering how did you do that rotating image in the middle? I would be really interested to try something like this for my travel essays.
I am very drawn to water.
Excellent cover too.
The water in The Memory of Water in a way could be said to symbolize the renewal of the relationship between the family - it was once what tore them apart, and it brings them together again.
Is the author with us?
It looks like a good one.
"There s something restful, beautiful, and eternal about the ocean and other large bodies of water- even something a little bit frightening about the unseen depths. But whatever it is, it pulls at me."
And again Laura, thank you for turning me on to this book!
Have a wonderful evening everyone :)
There are two mute characters in the book -
Gil, age 9, will not speak after his boating accident for fear that he will have to tell the truth about what happened that night his mother took him sailing in a storm. He fears that he will have to lie if he speaks- and he remembers his grandfather's talk of liars going to hell.
Grandfather, a former preacher, cannot speak after a stroke. He communicates through highlighting passages in his bible.
There is an underlying similarity here - and there are also times where the other characters will choose to be silent - not speaking what is on their mind.
Each character has their own secrets, past and present.
~~ I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of reasoning and free thinking. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of questioning what my pastor/parents/teachers/spouse/children/media/celebrities/government told me to dumbly and blindly accept as truth. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of seeking out Truth and God. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of celebrating, loving, and respecting others. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of refusing to conform to society.~~
In the midst of this serious story, there are often funny moments. One such highlight is this story that Marnie tells to Gil in order to try and make him laugh. The story is about a man named Peter Parts who wants to the Army. No recruiter will take him though, and he's sad and doesn't know why.
"And it took him a whole year of trying before one nice sergeant pulled him aside and let him know the truth. You know what that was, Gil?"
I pictured Gil shrugging and Marnie glancing in the rearview mirror. "Well, it was on account of nobody wanting to have Private Parts in their regiment."
For many generations, the Maitland family has lived in the South Carolina lowcountry, and suffered a tragic history. There have been fires, suicides, accidents, and illnesses that have claimed the lives of many Maitlands.
Diana believes strongly in the Maitland family curse, and paints a mural depicting her family's tragic history on the walls of her art studio.
But perhaps the real 'curse' is the mental illness that is passed down through the generations. Marnie and Diana's mother suffered from manic states that often left the children frightened and bewildered, depending on each other for support.
Diana takes medication for a bi-polar disorder. She stays on the medication because of Gil, but laments how it affects her painting...
The Memory of Water is set in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
The South Carolina Lowcountry is a term used to describe South Carolina's coastal counties, generally south of and including, Charleston. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands. The commonly accepted counties of the Lowcountry are Beaufort, Orangeburg, Jasper, Hampton, and Colleton counties.
The region contains its share of culture and history. Notable is the Gullah influence on St. Helena Island, and the early European Settlements near Beaufort.
See: http://www.southcarolinalowcountry.com/ for more information on this lovely area.
~~ I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of reasoning and free thinking. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of questioning what my pastor/parents/teachers/spouse/children/media/celebrities/government told me to dumbly and blindly accept as truth. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of seeking out Truth and God. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of celebrating, loving, and respecting others. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of refusing to conform to society.~~
I really enjoyed reading it and hope you will, too.
Sailing and boats play a prominent role in the novel. Until writing this book, author Karen White had never been on a sailboat before!
To research the book, she took a few sailing lessons on a local lake.
"While doing my research, I discovered that the more I learned, the more I realized I didn't know! Sailing is certainly an art form and something that would take years in which to develop a proficiency. Maybe when I retire!"
What inspired you to write your book?
Who or what has influenced your writing?
Do you listen to music when you write?
The Memory of Water is told in first person, by four different characters - Marnie, Diana, Quinn and Gil. By having four different perspectives on the story, you learn a lot about what is going on in each character's mind. Often you will see the same events through two different sets of eyes.
This is especially important when it comes to Gil, because he is a major character yet doesn't speak aloud for the majority of the book.
Karen White says:
"By using the different viewpoints, all told in the first person, I was better able to get inside the characters' heads- especially Gil's, who is mute throughout the book. Using a rotating first-person viewpoint allowed me to literally "change hats" for each different character- much like an actor does, I suppose- and become a different person as I wrote each scence. Not that writing is ever easy, but I found this to be a very useful tool in keeping each character separate in my mind."
Do you have any questions?
not my usual read but I might pick it up for a look..
regardless.. welcome to Gather, you are in good hands with Laura here!
:)
Do you have any questions?
have fun!
In the conversation guide, author Karen White tells us what message she'd like readers to take away from the book:
"My books are always about families muddling through difficult lives and finding their way- much, I would like to think, like us real people do.
I hope at the end of The Memory of Water, my readers will close the book feeling uplifted and hopeful that even the toughest obstacles can be overcome by forgiveness and a family's unconditional love."
by J Corn
by Jennifer L
by Vivian P.
by Kimber L
Thanks to everyone who dropped in and left a comment on this book chat for The Memory of Water! Feel free to post any other comments you have about the book, even though the live portion of this discussion has ended.
I hope that you will enjoy reading the book as much as I have, and that you'll drop on by the author chat this Wednesday! If you can't make it Wednesday, please head over to leave any questions you have for the author.
~~ I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of reasoning and free thinking. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of questioning what my pastor/parents/teachers/spouse/children/media/celebrities/government told me to dumbly and blindly accept as truth. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of seeking out Truth and God. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of celebrating, loving, and respecting others. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of refusing to conform to society.~~
This book looks fascinating. I like the low country setting, having spent some time there over the years. There is a smell and feel to the air that is unique to the low country. I can't explain it, but getting off a plane in Savannah and driving to one of the islands your senses remember the heavy air and thick foliage and sounds of the beaches – all so different from the New England coast. I also enjoy reading about families and what they can overcome through forgiveness and love. You've definitely piqued my interest!
I'd like to know what motivated Karen to choose the low country setting.
You missed this one, but there will be a live chat with the author on Wednesday at 8pm!
For those who've had any history of mania or bipolar illness, I'd call it a "must read". Mostly, though it is about family bonds, facing old fears and finding one's way back to solid ground after navigating through some bumpy waters, literally and emotionally.
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