A glimpse into the turbulent 1950s. Two grieving women and a heartbroken child. And unlikely friendships that rise above religion, race, and custom with the power to transform souls from the inside out.After leaving her son’s grave behind in Montgomery, Alabama, Delilah Evans has little faith that moving to her husband’s hometown in Pennsylvania will bring a fresh start. Enveloped by grief and … start. Enveloped by grief and doubt, the last thing Delilah imagines is becoming friends with her reclusive Amish neighbor, Emma Mullet—yet the secrets that keep Emma isolated from her own community bond her to Delilah in delicate and unexpected ways.
Delilah’s eldest daughter, Sparrow, bears the brunt of her mother’s pain, never allowed for a moment to forget she is responsible for her brother’s death. When tensions at home become unbearable for her, she seeks peace at Emma’s house and becomes the daughter Emma has always wanted. Sparrow, however, is hiding secrets of her own—secrets that could devastate them all.
With the white, black, and Amish communities of Sinking Creek at their most divided, there seems to be little hope for reconciliation. But long-buried hurts have their way of surfacing, and Delilah and Emma find themselves facing their own self-deceptions. Together they must learn how to face the future through the healing power of forgiveness.
“Younts has set herself apart with this exquisite story of friendship and redemption . . . I’ll be talking about this book for years to come.” —Rachel Hauck, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress
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A heart-wrenching story of grief and forgiveness—This is an amazing book and a beautifully written story! I had never read any of Elizabeth Byler Younts’ books before this one and I was absolutely stunned at the intricate plot and the emotional depth of the characters. Too often, fiction gives us unrealistic characters, but DeeDee, Emma, and Sparrow were raw, messy characters. Their struggles and grief were unbelievably real and my heart hurt for them multiple times throughout the story. The first person narrative had me cheering for them despite their flaws, especially DeeDee. If you were to take the rich historical depth of Laura Frantz’s novels, and combine it with Katie Ganshert’s messy, relatable characters, you would get this novel. The Solace of Water is not an easy story, covering a range of topics from racism and prejudice, alcoholism and cutting, to secrets and the effects of grief and unforgiveness. Yet despite all of this, the book is saturated in hope. I cried at the end of this book, not because of the darkness of their struggles, but because of the light and the eternal hope it was pointing to.
Incredibly touching story involving loss, forgiveness, secrets, guilt, blame, love and more. The author writes with such emotion that I feel the anguish and pain of the characters. I feel their love for each other and their heartache. This is an amazing story. I received an ARC of the book and this is my personal honest opinion. No review was required.