Summerwater
A powerful exploration of kinship and isolation
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Pan Macmillan
Published:24th Jun '21
Should be back in stock very soon
In Summerwater, Sarah Moss intricately weaves a tale of twelve vacationers in the Scottish highlands, exploring themes of connection and division amidst a relentless storm.
In Summerwater, Sarah Moss presents a poignant narrative set against the backdrop of a dreary summer solstice in a Scottish cabin park. The story unfolds over the course of twenty-four hours, capturing the lives of twelve vacationers, each grappling with their own personal struggles while the relentless rain pours down. As they navigate their day, the characters' interactions reveal the complexities of human relationships, from connections to misunderstandings, set against the stark beauty of the highlands. The atmosphere is thick with tension as the weather mirrors the emotional undercurrents among the group.
The arrival of a new family—a mother and daughter clad in inappropriate attire—sparks curiosity and suspicion among the other guests. Their presence disrupts the fragile balance within the cabin park, prompting questions about identity, belonging, and social norms. As the plot unfolds, the characters are forced to confront their own biases and fears, leading to a gradual unraveling of their facades. Moss skillfully explores themes of kinship and cruelty, showcasing how external conditions can amplify internal conflicts.
Summerwater is not just a tale of a rainy day; it is a reflection on the human condition, revealing how isolation can breed both empathy and animosity. With lyrical prose and keen observations, Moss crafts a narrative that resonates deeply, inviting readers to consider their own responses to the strangers in their midst. This novel is a testament to the power of storytelling in illuminating the complexities of modern life.
Sharp, searching, thoroughly imagined, it is utterly of the moment, placing its anxious human dots against a vast indifferent landscape; with its wit and verve and beautiful organisation it throws much contemporary writing into the shade! -- Hilary Mantel, Man Booker winning author of Wolf Hall
Nothing escapes her sly humour and brilliant touch. Deft and brimming with life, Summerwater is a novel of endless depth. A masterpiece. -- Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist
Moss’s ability to conjure up the fleeting and sometimes agonised tenderness of family life is unmatched . . . there is an artfulness to her writing so accomplished as to conceal itself. -- Melissa Harrison, Guardian
Summerwater is a triumph and confirms Sarah Moss as one of the best writers at work in Britain today. -- Fiona Mozley, author of Elmet
Moss is a writer who can say more than most others in half the space. Her latest, a haunting story of alienation set on a Scottish campsite, is the summer’s most interesting read * Independent *
Summerwater is a beautiful book, written with delicacy and grace, yet with an undertow as dark as the Scottish loch by which its characters are holidaying in ignorance of the tragedy to come. If you are a huge fan of Moss's work, as I am, you will find yourself parceling it out, to read a chapter a day, like a gift. -- Louise Doughty, author of Apple Tree Yard
Suffused with fascination . . . this latest display of Moss’s imaginative versatility shine[s] with intelligence * The Times *
This novel - about crisis and isolation in its own ways - moved and encouraged me in difficult times. Another deft, sensitive, crystalline book by Sarah Moss; I loved it. -- Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From
A masterful and immerse exercise in tension; here are the many conflicting voices of modern Britain in microcosm. Sarah Moss reminds us that society is only ever two short steps away from collapse. -- Benjamin Myers, author of The Offing
For more than a decade, Sarah Moss has been crafting quiet, complex novels that make an indelible impression on the reader. This is one of her best, and most accessible, and should bring her work to a wider audience. * Irish Times *
I read this brilliant novel in one greedy gulp. Sarah Moss is an acute observer of modern life and puts humanity on the page with deep understanding and wit. -- Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love
With delicate precision, Summerwater takes the moral and emotional temperature of a whole society. It is matchless, too, in its blending of steely insight with humour and compassion. -- Pankaj Mishra, author of The Age of Anger
Moss is the most brilliant writer. She deserves to win all the prizes. -- Joanna Trollope, author of City of Friends
Moss has quietly, and it must be said remarkably quickly, been putting out some of the most interesting and carefully sculpted novels of recent years. * Financial Times *
One of our very best contemporary novelists. * Independent *
Moss’s star is firmly in the ascendant * Guardian *
One of the finest contemporary writers working in Britain today * Stylist *
A brilliant, confounding writer * New Yorker *
A brilliant story of dysfunctional families * The Times *
ISBN: 9781529035476
Dimensions: 197mm x 129mm x 14mm
Weight: 154g
208 pages