‘It was like enlightenment, it was like being in the truth, which is a funny thing to say about deceit.’
When Light is Like Water is a woman’s reflection on her past self, the decisions she made, and the search for home. As a young woman, Alice left the United States to travel and explore the world, which led her to settle in the West of Ireland. A mix of reasons contributed to that decision, these being a growing relationship with a man named Eddie, as well as a lack of direction for where she saw herself going. She gets married and settles into the married life, which she struggles to adjust to, leading her to embark on an affair. Years later, Alice finds herself back in Ireland, going down memory lane and recounting her life and choices.
What are we searching for in life? Is it love, a sense of belonging, connection, or maybe even an understanding of ourselves? What lies behind the choices we make? Alice’s look back on her decisions and her time in Ireland examines these questions and provides an interesting retrospective. The character of Alice is a divisive one. At times I liked her and understood her, while other times I was quite frustrated by her and her seeming detachment and dispassion. But these moments themselves in a way fascinated me, giving a sense of realness to the novel and in turn making Alice’s behaviour and decisions more understandable.
The novel is beautifully written and succeeded in making me think about what was being put forward and the way in which the story is told. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy contemplative novels with the focus on character rather than action driven plots.
*Book provided by publisher for an unbiased review.
About a Book 