The Sweetness of Water

The Sweetness of Water is the 2021 debut historical novel by author Nathan Harris. It has received critical acclaim from Barack Obama as well as Oprah Winfrey, who included it as part of Oprah’s Book Club; the novel was also awarded the 2021 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Set against the backdrop of the Confederate Army’s Civil War defeat, the book illustrates the day-to-day hardships experienced by returning soldiers, the families who lost children to the war, farmers and entrepreneurs facing the rapid changes brought about by industrialization, and the racism, starvation, and emotional suffering experienced by formerly enslaved Black people. The following study guide references the Kindle edition of the novel published by Little Brown and Company.

Content warning: This book includes depictions of antigay bias, racial slurs, and racially-motivated violence.

Plot Summary

Set immediately following the Civil War in the fictional town of Old Ox, Georgia, the novel follows two formerly enslaved men, Prentiss and Landry, as they adjust to life as freed men under the newly signed Emancipation Proclamation. The men, who accidentally meet up with George Walker on his forested property that borders Majesty’s Palace, the plantation where they were enslaved, plan to move to the North after enough money to do so.