I received the ARC for The Waters and the Wild by DeSales Harrison when I attended the 2018 OLA Super Conference in February. The cover of the proof attracted me and the story intrigued me so I picked it up to take home to read.

The novel is a story about a psychoanalyst who is haunted by a past crime and a past lover. Daniel Abend is a single parent who lives and works in New York City. He has a successful practice, lives a comfortable life, has a beautiful daughter, and follows an untroubled routine. When one of his young patients commits suicide, it is a tragedy that can be easily explained by her depression and drug addiction. Shortly afterwards, however, Daniel receives a note that makes him question his patient’s death. Then his daughter abruptly disappears. A series of letters from an unknown sender ensnares Daniel in a desperate search for his daughter and the truth – a search that goes back decades into his past to the time when he was a young man living in Paris.

The story promises mystery, passion, betrayal, and redemption. It is, however, not a fast-paced psychological thriller. Instead it moves slowly as bit by bit the reader unearths the past life and actions of Daniel Abend. The story is beautifully written and is more a literary novel than one that can be completed in a day. The Waters and the Wild is a book that takes time to read but is one that you would wish to finish as you uncover surprise after surprise in the character’s life. This is not a novel for those who wish for a quick and easy read.

I give this novel ⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars.

© Colline Kook-Chun, 2018

(This novel was the 45th in my 50 book pledge for 2018)