Dreaming Water

This is a typical American novel, but it’s not too bad - Gail Tsukiyama being an adequate writer. I say typical because it has that forced simplicity, that focus on some issue or other (this time it’s both Werner syndrome and the Japanese interned during WW2), and the exploration of relationships. It’s a snapshot, in that the action takes place over two days, although the narrators (another sign of the typical American novel - using several narrators to carry the story) dip into the past, reminiscing. Basically Cate, in her sixties, is caring for her thirty-something daughter Hana who, having Werner syndrome, is like she’s in her eighties. She hasn’t long to live. A close friend, Laura, from the past comes to visit, with her daughters, showing that the end of one life can still make a difference – the mother has time to ponder her growing attraction to the family doctor, and Laura’s teenage daughter sees that difference can mean uniqueness and something beautiful. It’s a quiet read, a thoughtful read, but nothing particularly new or original.