The House of Deep Water

This title was chosen for our June book club and the reviews from the group were mixed.  Once our wine glasses were full and we were sitting in a circle of sorts, we reintroduced ourselves to the members, someone new always attends.  We also were asked to comment on the book and give our opinion in a number from 1 to 10.  Most members gave the book a 5 or less- based on the fact that there were so many characters- it was hard to keep them all straight.  In fact, in the front of the book is a family tree diagram just so you could understand who belonged to whom. 

I felt the book was actually quite good.  YES, it was confusing at times due to the number of characters, and YES many questions were left unanswered, but the main character, Beth, showed growth and the ending was very satisfying.  I would not kick this book out of bed; in fact I read it in bed many nights. 🙂  It’s a quick read and knowing you will be confused at times and might need to refer back to the family tree diagram should not deter you from checking the book out of your public library. The overall story is very good and there is a good amount of character growth to keep you interested.

Some book club members thoughts:

Positives:  Small town, close knit community…Dinah was the only strong female being the Grandmother of the family, she played a nurturing role, although she could have been more prominent in the plot. The main character, Beth, shows growth despite the many obstacles in her way.  The author does a nice job at describing characters and the setting.  

Negatives:  Women were shown as weak with no redeeming qualities, the women were in need of love, lacking direction…history repeats itself- having children out of wedlock or too young.

My thoughts:  At times, the story was confusing with too many characters.  The author admits she has a hard time writing plot, she feels she is much better at writing characters and delving into their lives.  And as I read the story, I kept saying to myself, “What is this story about…when are we going to find out the real problem with the characters? 

The setting, small town rural Michigan, was depressing, houses were dilapidated, cars were always breaking down, money was short, and people spent lots of time on bar stools.

Still, I recommend this book.  The characters are flawed yet complex and the description of small town Michigan from the eyes of a black author was interesting.  We spent well over two-full hours discussing this book and in the end some of the members expressed they might give the book a higher score. 🙂