The Solace of Water

By: Elizabeth Byler Younts

Narrated by: Nan Gurley

A glimpse into the turbulent 1950s. Two grieving women and a heartbroken child. And unlikely friendships that rise above religion, race, and custom with the power to transform souls from the inside out.

After leaving her son’s grave behind in Montgomery, Alabama, Delilah Evans has little faith that moving to her husband’s hometown in Pennsylvania will bring a fresh start. Enveloped by grief and doubt, the last thing Delilah imagines is becoming friends with her reclusive Amish neighbor, Emma Mullet - yet the secrets that keep Emma isolated from her own community bond her to Delilah in delicate and unexpected ways.

Delilah’s eldest daughter, Sparrow, bears the brunt of her mother’s pain, never allowed for a moment to forget she is responsible for her brother’s death. When tensions at home become unbearable for her, she seeks peace at Emma’s house and becomes the daughter Emma has always wanted. Sparrow, however, is hiding secrets of her own - secrets that could devastate them all.

With the white, black, and Amish communities of Sinking Creek at their most divided, there seems to be little hope for reconciliation. But long-buried hurts have their way of surfacing, and Delilah and Emma find themselves facing their own self-deceptions. Together they must learn how to face the future through the healing power of forgiveness.

“Younts has set herself apart with this exquisite story of friendship and redemption...I’ll be talking about this book for years to come.” (Rachel Hauck, New York Times best-selling author of The Wedding Dress)

©2018 Elizabeth Byler Younts (P)2018 Thomas Nelson

it pulled me in

I loved this story of racial differences, how people grieve and friendship. the performances were wonderful!!!

wonderful story & performances

I really didn't have any expectations with this book. but wow. what a beautiful story about grief, race, friendship and forgiveness. faith too, but it wasn't overbearing in any sense. the last 2 hours of the book had me on edge and I couldn't stop listening. highly recommend this story.
there should be a trigger warning though for self harm! as someone who selfharmed in my teen years, it was a bit shocking and upsetting at first, but once I was able to prepare myself it wove very well into the story and characters.

A POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT-PROVOKING STORY

From the beginning to the end I was hanging on every word. This book packs a powerful punch and will be such a conversation piece for many friends, groups, book clubs, etc. The detail that Elizabeth puts in to her writing easily allowed me to feel like a part of the story. It also allowed me to emotionally connect with the characters.

I empathized with each character in a different ways, yet to my surprise, I connected the most with the Amish boy, Johnny, because of his situation and family dynamic. The connection I formed with this character holds true to one of the over-arching themes of this book - that while we might look different on the outside, the truth is that many of our stories are similar, or the feelings we experience are similar (pain, sadness, regret, guilt, displacement, etc).

One of my favorite parts of the books is when Sparrow says "Maybe we should all just shut our eyes."

The audible narrator does an amazing job at reading this story! Many times I found myself standing still, holding my breath because the way the narrator read the scenes. She did a very beautiful job reading!

Be prepared for this story to trigger emotion! Throughout most of this story, my heart was in my throat and I often found myself holding back tears. Listening to a story like this where there is real, raw emotion from trauma, secrets, and lies; is hard but I believe it is so important and it can be so healing. I encourage you, future reader, to continue listening and reading through those hard parts, because there is hope.

I hope this story, and the life-lessons woven throughout, reaches millions, softens hearts, and brings people together in a very special way!

Thank you for this book, Elizabeth. It truly was a blessing.

Great read!

A really good story, beautifully written and beautifully read. I hate to say goodbye to these folks.

Solace of Water - amazing!!!!

One of the best books I have ever read. All the characters seemed to come alive. The overall story was relevant even to today. It was crafted with love and went beyond race, religion, and other differences that do not define who we are as people. A must read!!!!

Profound

Oh my heavenly days. This book. If you can get the audio version, do it. If not, get it in any format you can. The writing itself deserves multiple awards, and I hope to be able to congratulate Younts on winning those at some point. The voices of each character, the setting, the subjects (hefty subject matter, people!)... all of these combine into an unforgettable story I will not forget. There were times when this book was so painful I had to take it in small doses or just drop everything to hurry through to the end. But it's worth it, and the ending does satisfy. This was my first time reading Elizabeth Byler Younts, and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Outstanding overall! A healing, groundbreaking masterpiece.

A gripping, emotional, and haunting story I didn’t want to put down nor end. Byler Yount’s masterpiece. Her understanding of shame and grief shocked me. Her compassion and passion to tell the truth about how people treated each other during the civil rights movement, giving light to the Amish’s stance on it all, is groundbreaking. I believe this book could be healing and enlightening to anyone who reads it.
Nan Gurley did a terrific and daring performance, shifting seamlessly between the 3 main voices and supporting characters. I felt I knew them better by hearing their voices and vocal nuances. Bravo!

A beautiful emotional rollercoaster!

I listened to this book straight through only taking time to sleep! I loved loved loved this book, very well written, I was captivated from start to finish!

Spell binding! .

i believe I've found another favorite author. this had my attention until the very end! Such a multitude of emotions were experienced as I was drawn into this gripping story of lives filled with believable pain, racial differences and likenesses, personal pain and personal healings of the different characters...all woven and melded into lives lived in this time period. This book will not disappoint!

Loved this story

Well written. Kept my interest. This one you will remember and think about now and again.