We Are Water is 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 … 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.
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I’m currently about a third of the way through this book and I’m not sure yet just how I feel about it. It’s witty and engaging in parts but others seem a little boring. It’s hard to see how it will all fit together. But I usually enjoy Wally Lamb’s books so I’m optimistic about this one.
A complex story told by the voices of different family members — all of them believable and honest. With important lessons about the devastating damage done by secrets and the healing powers of telling the truth.
At its heart this is a story about love, family and relationships. Anna Oh, an artist, wife, and mother is ending her 27 year …
Great book….love Wally!!
Not a big fan of this one. Way too long for a weaker story line that never really grabbed me. Reading the description made it sound deep, but I never felt emotionally involved at all.
Excellent read
I am hooked on his books!
We certainly are water as Lamb so aptly imparts to his readers in this provocative novel. I adored this novel and comfortably read it in a few days, thoroughly enjoying the intricacies of a functional dysfunctional family and their friends. Lamb provides his characters chapters in which to speak to the reader in the first person so each can slowly …
Always enjoy the tales of this author. This was no exception. A++
Another good story by a solid storyteller. Characters are real and well developed, author gets you into their heads. Makes for a page Turner.