Waterland

Waterland, Graham Swift’s sweeping 1983 novel, has a strong sense of regionalism as reflected in its title. This British publication set in a low-lying region of eastern England reads like American gothic fiction, with flawed characters; themes of grotesque, fatalism, and madness; and occasional levity to break the intensity. The main plot chronicles the plights of two intrinsically intertwined but decidedly dissimilar families. Swift’s complex, intriguing characters struggle to navigate their problematic pasts and the present in an ever-shifting landscape rich in history, storytelling, mystery, incest, tragedy, and a dash of magic.

Tom Crick, passionate history teacher and master storyteller, unburdens his soul when his career ends after 32 years. He is sacked when his wife Mary steals a baby from the local supermarket and creates scandal in their corner of London. As Tom addresses his students in his last days at work, he recalls various memories try to make sense of his past, alluding to pertinent historical events along the way.

Waterland, more commonly known as the Fens, is the main setting. The Cricks—Henry, Helen, Dick, and Tom—comprise the primary nuclear family, with the Atkinsons and Metcalfs following close behind. Henry, Tom’s father and Dick’s stepfather, is reserved but hardly calm; Dick “potato-head” Click, Tom’s older brother by four years, is mentally challenged but physically endowed, and the product of an incestuous union between Helen and her father, Ernest Atkinson. Helen, a clever, well-meaning beauty, dies too young, leaving the men to fend for themselves on the Fens.

Tom tells the story of his family history beginning with Freddie Parr’s death. Freddie is a friend who challenges both Tom and Dick when he flirts with young Mary, whom they all admire. Mary is curious about Dick, though, who wants to learn about love. She promises to show him how babies are made and becomes pregnant. Dick believes the baby is his, but to protect Tom, Mary tells Dick the baby is Freddie’s.

Consequently, Dick kills Freddie in a fit of rage, and Freddie’s body washes up on the shore of the Cricks’ property. Henry fishes the body out of the water, and Tom notices a suspicious bruise on Freddie’s head, prompting him to investigate Freddie’s cause of death. Although Freddie’s death is declared an accident, at the end of the novel Tom proves Dick did the deed. At the same time, the boys discover Dick’s real parentage. Tragically, these two revelations cause Dick’s suicide.

The subplot involving Tom and Mary’s relationship starts when Mary decides to abort the baby with Tom’s help. Martha Clay, a local “witch,” performs the abortion, leaving Mary barren. After marrying Tom, for 32 years she pines for a child. When she concocts a delusional plan to steal a baby and attribute the deed to God, her sanity comes into question. This is the reason for Tom’s sacking, and this subplot gains closure when Tom realizes Mary might be schizophrenic and commits her to an asylum, only after persuading her to return the baby.

Yet another subplot involves a bond between Tom and an unruly but perceptive student named Price, in whom Tom confides and eventually calls his son. He sees a spark in Price absent in the others, but since Price believes history is expendable, Tom makes impassioned arguments to him defending history and its vital role in the world.

By the end of the Crick family saga, Tom has suffered huge losses and only his fragile mind remains; Price has matured, but according to Tom will repeat the lives his parents led; Henry speaks out in a cathartic moment to reveal long-held secrets; and Dick’s drowning washes away any traces of his ill-fated existence. Swift’s own masterful storytelling skills are displayed in this captivating portrayal of life’s dark realities, all-too-human characters, and their arduous lives in this waterland.