The Ways of Water: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

As Josie Belle Gore, daughter of a Louisiana train engineer and Texas seamstress, journeys with her itinerant family through the deserts of the boom-and-bust American West and revolutionary Mexico, she learns that in her life, two things are constant: water is precious, and her role in her family is to save it.

When unforeseeable events force the separation of her family, Josie begins an odyssey that takes her from New Mexicos Jornada del Muerto to Bisbee, Tucson, Los Angeles, and finally post-WWI San Franciscoexperiencing betrayal, pandemic, and survivors guilt, as well as the compassion and generosity of friends and strangers, along the way. Once she lands in San Francisco, like a river meeting the sea, Josie has nowhere else to runand she realizes that she must make peace with the past and good on her promise to the family she loves. Inspired by the authors family lore, The Ways of Water is a lyrical tale of loss, hope, and forgiveness set in the rugged beauty of the turn-of-the-century Southwest that, like Josie, is growing up in fits and starts.

Reviews

This story flows with twists and turns much like those of a riverThe authentic voice, rich sensory imagery, and often lyrical, poetic language create an emotional and descriptive feast.
Chanticleer Book Reviews, 5/5 STARS

Author Bio

Teresa H. Janssen is a career educator, essayist, and author of short fiction whose writing has appeared in a variety of literary journals. The Ways of Water, her debut novel, was inspired her grandmothers girlhood in the American Southwest. She resides with her husband near Seattle on Washington states Olympic Peninsula.