The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
This is the tale of Grace, Lia, and Sky, who were raised in seclusion from society for their own good while being taught the horrible lessons that every woman must learn about love. And it is the tale of the men who come to discover them: three strangers who wash up on the shore, their eyes rife with hunger and tenacity, leaving ruin and longing in their wake. The Water Cure is a burning vision of suffering, sisterhood, and transformation that feels like a fever dream.
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
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For his wife and their three kids, Grace, Lia, and Sky, King has painstakingly staked out a zone. He has set up barbed wire, placed buoys in the sea, and clearly delineated a no-entry zone. Or, seen another way: It is unsafe for you to depart. Women are shielded from the mayhem and aggression of men on the mainland here. They are defended against the pervasive poison of a decaying environment by the cult-like rituals and therapies they endure. But after their father, the only guy they’ve ever seen goes missing, they withdraw even more until a bizarre group of three men wash up on the coast. A psychological cat-and-mouse game takes place over the course of one sweltering hot week. As the sisters face the hazy threat the strangers pose, sexual tensions and family rivalry erupt. Can the women endure the men?
The main characters of this tale are three girls who reside with their parents in a remote location on an island. It is a bit of a dystopian story that mostly focuses on the relationships between the sisters and their parents as well as their unexpected visits. My interest in the story was piqued by the siblings’ complex, harsh relationships and their odd lives. There are some content warnings to be aware of, and this was definitely a tense read at moments. But I thought Sophie Mackintosh’s writing in this book was so excellent that I can’t wait to read more of her work.
