The Sweetness of Water

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Harris’s novel argues that people’s identities are always shaped by their histories and past traumas. Do you think it’s ever possible to escape the past? Why or why not?

2. During Prentiss’s time in jail, he uses daydreams to cope with his life-threatening situation. Within your own life, has the power of the imagination ever helped you, particularly during a time of trouble?

3. The novel examines the theme of identity and societal disconnect. Discuss how a historical event within your own lifetime has changed your identity and relationship with society.

4. Does Landry’s struggle for personal freedom and identity resonate with you? How does his understanding of these things compare to your own?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the novel’s setting in post-Civil War Georgia shape its overall meaning? Consider not only its depiction of racism but also of antigay bias, as well as the intersection of the two. 

2. Some groups seek to dismiss the lasting impact of slavery by saying that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed over a century ago. How does Harris’s novel rebuke this perspective by examining the legacy of slavery and by arguing for the continued importance of understanding the United States’ history?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How do flashbacks impact the novel’s structure, characterization, and the theme of memories as preservation of the past? Provide specific examples to show how this technique affected your experience as a reader. 

2. How does Harris use George’s hunt for the elusive animal to develop the theme of reality versus the imagination? How does this theme reflect the personal experiences of people living through the Reconstruction Era?

3. How does Landry’s broken jaw symbolize violence against enslaved individuals, and what does the character’s silence reveal about the power of memory and trauma?

4. How does the setting of Old Ox offer insight into the theme of identity and societal disconnect in times of war? How do the townspeople’s attitudes towards the two formerly enslaved people lay the foundation for the novel’s tragedy?

5. Compare and contrast the personality traits and character arcs of the two brothers, Prentiss and Landry. How does Landry represent a sacrifice that enables his brother and others to claim freedom, and how does this impact the novel’s overall meaning?