Waterland

Two East Anglian families are linked by a deep secret in Graham Swift’s eloquent and poignant exploration of water, history, desire and tragedy.

"Perfectly controlled, superbly written, and, as they used to say, riveting. Waterland is original, compelling and narration of the highest order."  -  The Guardian UK

Tom Crick is a history teacher, but the history that absorbs him is his own and his family’s. Driven by a marital crisis and the provocation of one of his pupils, he forsakes his teaching to relate the story of his family who have lived in the Fens since the 18th century. The past, with its secrets and oddities, hangs heavy on him, pushing him towards a heartbreaking new disaster in his life.

"Waterland, like the Hardy novels, carries with all else a profound knowledge of a people, a place, and their interweaving... Swift tells his tale with wonderful contemporary verve and verbal felicity... A fine and original work."  -  The Los Angeles Times

Graham Swift is the author of eleven novels and two collections of short stories. His work includes the highly acclaimed England and Other Stories, and Making an Elephant, a book of essays, portraits, poetry and reflections on his life in writing. His novel Mothering Sunday became an international bestseller and won The Hawthornden Prize for best work of imaginative literature. With Waterland he won the Guardian Fiction Prize and with Last Orders the 1996 Booker Prize.