Like Water (novel)

Last updated

Like Water
Like Water (book cover).jpg
Author Rebecca Podos
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult novel
Publisher Balzer + Bray
Publication date
October 17, 2017
Pages320
Awards Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature
ISBN 9-780-0623-7337-3

Like Water is a young adult novel written by Rebecca Podos and published in 2017 by Balzer + Bray. The story, which was the recipient of a Lambda Literary Award, centers on Savannah Espinoza, a teenager from New Mexico who begins discovering more about her sexuality when she becomes enamored with a genderqueer teenager, called Leigh.

Contents

Podos' book was received positively by critics, who commended the author's handling of the characters' sexuality and gender identity as well as the authentic description of living in a small town of New Mexico.

Plot

Savannah Espinoza lives in a small town in New Mexico where most young adults leave in search for better opportunities in other cities. Espinoza's plan was to try applying for a scholarship based on her swimming skills, but at her final year of school, her father learns he has Huntington's disease. Espinoza decides to stay and help with the family's restaurant, instead of pursuing a degree, and she begins going out with any boy that shows interest.

Eventually, Savannah meets Lucas and his sister, Leigh, whose family had just moved in to the city. She finds herself sexually attracted to Leigh. The two teenagers begin a relationship, which causes Savannah to question her sexual identity. Although the two love each other, the relationship is filled with challenges due to Leigh's "mischievous and daring" personality. [1]

Development

The setting of Like Water is based on the period when Rebecca Podos was studying for her undergrad at an art school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When Podos began writing the book, she was already set on having main character that is bisexual and a queer romantic relationship. [2]

Reception

Like Water was described as a "poignant coming-of-age story" in a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books review, [3] and "[a] strong coming-of-age story, if at times just slightly predictable for sophisticated readers" by the School Library Journal . [1] The Bulletin review also praised the way the struggles that the main characters goes through, both in respect to her romantic and personal life. [3]

Elisa Gershowitz, writing for The Horn Book Magazine , thought Savannah and Leigh's love to be "satisfyingly complex", as well as Savannah's relationship to her parents. While both reviews found the mix of English and Spanish in the dialogues added authenticity and made it more natural, Gershowitz called the writing, at times, "uneven". [4] [3] Podos' writing was also praised in the way it "perfectly captures the comforting yet cloistering feeling of living in a rural town". Although The Booklist 's reviewer found Savannah to be somewhat "amorphous", she also found the protagonist's self-discovery of her bisexuality refreshing for being simply a "matter-of-fact". [5]

Kirkus Reviews appreciated Leigh's character, but wrote the narrative was weakened by "[Savannah]'s personality", which was "hard to pin down". The reviewer still praised how the characters' sexuality and gender were handled by Podos, as well as the "richly and authentically [description of] the culture of a small New Mexico town". [6]

The book received a Lambda Literary Award in 2018, in the Children's and Young Adult category. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Noisy Nora</i> Childrens picture book about a mouse named Nora

Noisy Nora is a 1973 children's picture book by Rosemary Wells. It is about a mouse called Nora who likes to make lots of noise.

<i>Its Perfectly Normal</i>

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health is a children's book written by Robie Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley. The purpose of the book is to inform preadolescent children about puberty by exploring different definitions of sex. It was first published in 1994 by Candlewick Press, and has since been updated with new information. Harris was prompted to write It’s Perfectly Normal by her editor so young individuals would understand aspects of sexual health. The book has won multiple accolades and appraisal for its accurate information and its normalization of body changes and human sexuality. However, it has also been a source of controversy because of its graphic images that some consider inappropriate for the targeted age range. Many of Harris’s books, including It’s Perfectly Normal, has appeared on the American Library Association's Most Challenged Books frequently since 2005. It’s Perfectly Normal has additional anniversary editions that were published in 2004, 2009, and 2014. The book has also been translated in 27 languages.

<i>First Light</i> (Stead novel) 2007 novel by Rebecca Stead

First Light is a young adult science fiction and mystery novel by Rebecca Stead, first published in 2007. The novel follows Peter, who is in Greenland with his father and mother for research on global warming, and Thea, who lives in Gracehope, an underground colony located below Greenland. First Light explains how global warming is melting Gracehope and Peter and Thea's attempt to persuade the people to leave. The novel addresses the effects of global warming as a theme.

<i>Red Kayak</i> 2004 young adult novel by Priscilla Cummings

Red Kayak is a young adult novel by American author Priscilla Cummings. It was first published in 2004 and tells the story of a teenager who feels partially responsible for the death of a three-year-old, and the moral dilemma of whether to tell others about the truth he uncovers about the baby's death. Red Kayak is the first in a series of three books, the sequel being The Journey Back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. S. King</span> American writer

Amy Sarig King is an American writer of short fiction and young adult fiction.

<i>Little Red Lies</i>

Little Red Lies is a 2013 young adult novel by Canadian author Julie Johnston. The coming of age novel is set immediately after World War II in a small Canadian town.

<i>What Cant Wait</i> 2011 young adult novel by Ashley Hope Pérez

What Can't Wait is a young adult novel by Ashley Hope Pérez, published by Carolrhoda Lab in 2011. The story portrays a Mexican American teenage girl living in Houston who is torn between the demands of her family and her ambitions for the future. Karen Coats of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books wrote that this novel portrays how many immigrant families do not want their teenagers to absorb Americanized attitudes even though the immigrants came to the U.S. to get a better life. This is the author's first novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meredith Russo</span> 21st-century American author

Meredith Russo is an American young adult author from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

<i>Wolf in the Snow</i> 2017 wordless picture book

Wolf in the Snow is a 2017 wordless picture book by Matthew Cordell. The book was favorably received by critics and won the 2018 Caldecott Award. The story has drawn comparisons to fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood. The nearly wordless book tells the story of a girl and wolf who each get lost in the snowstorm. Cordell used distinctive illustration techniques for the girl and the wolf.

Rebecca Podos is an American author of young adult fiction and a literary agent, best known for her Lambda Literary Award-winning novel Like Water.

<i>The Poet X</i> 2018 YA novel by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Poet X, published March 6, 2018 by HarperTeen, is a young adult novel by Elizabeth Acevedo. Fifteen-year-old Xiomara, also known as "X" or "Xio," works through the tension and conflict in her family by writing poetry. The book, a New York Times bestseller, was well received and won multiple awards at the 2019 Youth Media Awards.

<i>Thank You, Omu!</i> 2018 Picture book

Thank You, Omu! is a 2018 picture book written and illustrated by Oge Mora. The story is about Omu, who cooks a stew and shares it with her neighbors; they show their gratitude by bringing her food. The book started as an assignment for a class of Mora's at the Rhode Island School of Design, where it was seen by an editor from Little, Brown. Thank You, Omu was well reviewed and a recipient of the 2019 Caldecott Honor for its illustrations. The book's mixed media drew praise for their detailed depictions of characters and locations.

<i>Hurricane Child</i> 2018 novel by Kacen Callender

Hurricane Child is a children's novel by Kacen Callender. The book was published in March 2018 by Scholastic Press. The book is set in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and tells the story of Caroline Murphy, who discovers her love for another girl.

<i>If You Could Be Mine</i> 2013 young adult novel by Sara Farizan

If You Could Be Mine is a 2013 young adult novel by Sara Farizan. The book tells the story of Sahar, an Iranian teenage girl who is willing to go through sex reassignment surgery so she can marry her best friend, Nasrin. The book was received positively by critics, especially due to its description of the life of homosexual and transgender people in Iran, and it received multiple awards from LGBT publications in 2014.

<i>The Grief Keeper</i> 2019 novel by Alexandra Villasante

The Grief Keeper is a science fiction novel for young adults written by Alexandra Villasante. The book was published in 2019 by Putnam and received the Lambda Literary Award in the following year.

<i>The Magic Fish</i> 2020 graphic novel by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel written and illustrated by Trung Le Nguyen. The novel tells the story of Tiến Phong, a second generation American Vietnamese teenager, who helps his mother learn English through fairy tales while struggling to tell her about his sexuality.

<i>The Sun Is Also a Star</i> (novel) 2016 young adult novel by Nicola Yoon

The Sun Is Also a Star is a young adult novel by American author Nicola Yoon, published November 1, 2016, by Delacorte Press. The book follows two characters, one of whom is about to be deported, and explores “the ways in which we are all connected and the ways in which people across all walks of life have much more in common than they think they do.”

<i>The Astonishing Color of After</i> 2018 young adult novel by Emily X. R. Pan

The Astonishing Color of After is a young adult novel by Emily X.R. Pan, published March 20, 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. The novel addresses topics including suicide and mental health through the story of a biracial teenager, Leigh, in search of her mother, whom Leigh believes has transformed into a red bird following her suicide. She follows the bird to Taiwan, her mother’s birthplace, where she meets her grandparents for the first time and tries to learn what the bird is trying to teach her before the end of the traditional Ghost Month. Throughout the story, Leigh uses colors to describe emotions and her art as a way to process her grief. Meanwhile, she is also in conflict with her father, who does not believe she is handling her grief well and also thinks she should be pursuing something more practical than art.

Savannah Brown is an American poet and author.

Heartstopper is a young adult LGBTQIA+ ongoing graphic novel and webcomic series written and illustrated by British author Alice Oseman. It is the subject of the 2022 Netflix television series of the same name, directed by Euros Lyn and written by Alice Oseman.

References

  1. 1 2 Murphy, N. G. (2017). "Like Water". School Library Journal . Vol. 63, no. 9. p. 149.
  2. Rebecca, Podos (September 21, 2017). "Queeries: Rebecca Podos, Author of Like Water". Kirkus Reviews (Interview). Interviewed by Karen Schechner.
  3. 1 2 3 Linares, Rebecca (October 2017). "Like Water by Rebecca Podos (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books . Vol. 71, no. 2. Baltimore. p. 88. doi:10.1353/bcc.2017.0731. S2CID   148601675.
  4. Gershowitz, Elissa (September–October 2017). "Like Water". The Horn Book Magazine . Vol. 93, no. 5. Boston. p. 105.
  5. Hunter, Sarah (October 1, 2017). "Like Water". The Booklist . Vol. 114, no. 3. chicago. pp. 79–80.
  6. "LIKE WATER". Kirkus Reviews . Vol. 85, no. 14. Austin. July 15, 2017.
  7. "Impromptu". The Horn Book Magazine . Vol. 94, no. 5. September–October 2018. pp. 116–118.