Unfortunately this one did not do it for me. I finished, and thought the writing was well done, but I could not get behind all of the abuse. The book is pitched as a world where women do not feel safe, however the main woman causing the problems was the mother. The father was a huge problem too, but the book makes it clear that men are to be feared. However the three sisters have turned on each other due to the abuse from the mother, which is hardly surprising. I had to keep reading to see how this would end, but not because I was enjoying it.

While the book had a lot of intrigue, I was left with too many questions at completion. For most of the book, I could not tell the age of the characters, as they seemed very childish, perhaps due to their circumstances. I did not enjoy the fact that so many horrible things happen to the main characters, and even once free, they might still face their demise. It was a very depressing tale. Overall it had an intriguing plot, but it was too bleak and morose.

The Water Cure is not my usual genre but I decided to step out of my comfort zone. The writing was beautiful but I sometimes had a hard time with the multiple viewpoints.

It's very hard to review this book. It's a story of three sisters, growing up isolated on an island with both parents. You can immediately tell that something is off, but you're never able to put your finger on it. Mackinstosh's writing is lush, dreamy, and opaque. The Water Cure falls in the realm of feminist dystopia, and it is, filled with monsters. The monsters are all just women.

In the near future, a father, mother and three daughters seek refuge on an island to escape the dangers of the outside world. The father, King, tells his daughters that women are no longer safe from men, and the daughters participate in various “therapies” to cure them from the abuse of men. One day King disappears, leaving Mother and the daughters to deal with two men and a boy who wash ashore. How are they to manage this threat? Somehow, I feel like this whole book should take place under water, and in some ways, it already feels like it does. It has the feel of a dream, the hypnotic rhythm of water, the haziness of only seeing what the narrator/author wants you to see. The story was told in first person point of view from the isolated daughters’ perspective and was effective in leaving many parts of the story vague and open to interpretation, which I think made for an interesting and engaging read.

I finished this book about a week ago, and have waited to write my review because I wanted to see how time would impact my feelings and thoughts about this book. What I am left with is this: the writing is gorgeous, the storyline intriguing, the characters not quite as fully developed as I’d have liked, but enough so that I am thinking about them these many days later. I am ambivalent about the question of whether or not this is a dystopian novel - it is, for me, simply a story about abuse, and isolation, lies and half-truths, and how these things affect the relationships these sisters have with each other, and ultimately with the first group of outsiders they have the chance to encounter. The questions which arose in my mind are these: Is isolationism the answer to the violence of our current society? Can violence ever be justified? How does fear color our vision of the world? How do women banish that fear and step into the power they hold but have not wielded? How many lives will be turned upside down while we continue to avoid any real dialogues about mental illness and its connection to violence? This is an eerie story told in languid prose, and it is the kind of story not easily labeled, maybe not even easily liked, but it grabbed me and would not let me go.

This book was a dreamy, languid, liquid-feeling dystopian tale, with the tangible, heavy heat and humidity that immediately brought to mind J.G. Ballard’s “Drowned World”. But I should say that that is really the only similarity. Unlike Ballard’s dystopia, this book gives the illusion of dystopia by isolating a family on a supposed island, with boundaries of barbed wire and ocean. More cult-like than anything else, this book takes on the similar tales of isolated women relying on themselves out of forced necessity, then left to fend for themselves and apply what they’ve been taught about the world especially in relation to the men who lurk out in the world. And because they are taught about the awfulness of men, a man is most definitely the only intruder to appear after the adults in these scenarios disappear. The difference with this book is the masterful writing and telling through narration, rather than heavily relying on dialogue or much action.

“Cruelty” may be the word I would use to most characterize this book. Cruelty by the outside world and men towards women, in general. Cruelty towards one’s children out of perhaps fear and maybe some love, but cruelty nonetheless. Cruelty towards outsiders, the innocent, and oneself. The question is really how this came to be what this family felt they needed to teach above all else. I realize there is a hum of fear, anger, and love beneath the cruelty, but I don’t feel like they broke through in the end. I could definitely see this being a pretty interesting art house film. I loved all the texture and imagery of white muslin draped over bodies, wetted by tears and salt water, and the water itself. The feeling they all had about the rescuing qualities of water was also quite interesting.

Grace, Lia and Sky have been raised away from the world. Their father King, and mother, have convinced them that men are dangerous, the world is toxic, and they must undergo a number of "therapies" to keep themselves healthy and fortified. After King's death, three men wash up on shore. Shortly after their arrival, Mother disappears, leaving the girls alone with the men. Lia finds herself drawn to the men, craving touch and attention.

This book was a bit slow and surreal. The author never explained how King was able to isolate his family. This book could have taken place in any number of times, making the story seem half-formed. I also don't understand why only Grace and Lia was given a voice. Neither one seemed like an individual, or had a unique voice. Overall, this book was a bust.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. The dystopian concept intrigued me, but I could not feel emotionally invested in the story. At times it felt too vague and I was left with more questions.

I recently read that "toxic" is Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year for 2018. It makes you think of how broadly the word toxic can be used. Oxford chose this word to reflect on its use in today's world and I think this book does the same for how women feel in today's society in a deep and gripping way.

In "The Water Cure," toxic is used to describe men, and the forbidden mainland in relation to the female characters of this story. Under the surface, it is also used to describe the relationship between the main characters and how they go about functioning in their world.

The story moves slow and deliberate spoken inside the head of the three sisters. Their world is different and dark. I could absorb the descriptions of author Sophie Mackintosh for ages. Her world she creates is familiar but abrasive, beautiful and somber, a little sterile but somehow organic. If my description about this book isn't making sense, it's probably because this book took me on a trip.

Based on the description, 'dystopic feminist revenge fantasy,' I assumed this was for a female audience. I'm glad I was mistaken. I enjoyed this novel and found it to be more than a dystopia. I appreciated the characters and the author's ability to make me wonder what I would discover on the next page.

There are two ways to read this book: as some kind of feminist themed dystopian novel with a big important message. Or, as a story of a dysfunctional family with a father who has the narcissistic appeal of a cult leader. If you read it as the former, I think you will be sorely disappointed.

I loved the language and foreboding atmosphere of the book, the unrelenting tension. The author is purposefully ambiguous and that creates interesting work for and engages the reader. The writing itself is really evocative, and I loved it. However, at the end of the day, the story seems to be merely one of family dysfunction at a new level, but derivative of other books about cults or other situations where people are entrapped by the mentally ill.. An interesting literary excursion overall and actually, I did find it a page turner.

I could not get into this title, which is always difficult as a voracious reader to not be able to love a title that is being longlisted for awards and winning accolades, but I felt disjointed and confused while reading this novel, never really able to grasp who the characters were or what was happening.

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh releases 1/8/2019 from Hamish Hamilton (#partner). Described as The Handmaid's Tale meets The Virgin Suicides, this debut novel was long listed for the Man Booker Prize for 2018 and I predict it will be one of the first big hits of 2019. This dystopian fiction story of 3 sisters raised to fear men and kept separate from the rest of the world was a bit of a slow starter for me. However, once I got my footing on the structure and style of the story, I tore through it. Author Sophie Mackintosh's writing is clean but raw, it will slice your heart and drop your jaw. This is a novel that is difficult to explain without giving away any spoilers, but I definitely agree with the description of The Handmaid's Tale meets The Virgin Suicides. I know that every feminist dystopia is labeled "the next Handmaid's Tale" but I rarely agree (Vox may have been the closest). The Water Cure is primal and psychologically addictive. I recommend this if you love feminist fiction and are comfortable reading something a bit left of mainstream.

Three sisters have been raised by psychopathic parents in an isolated compound, being forced to engage in rituals that inflict physical and psychological harm on themselves and each other. When first their father disappears, followed soon after by arrival of three strangers and then the disappearance of their mother, the sisters are forced to face new possibilities and realities. Narrated by the sisters, this is an incredibly disturbing read that asks audiences to examine the nature of religion and other belief systems, the roles of education and ignorance in families, societies, and institutions, and the ways in which women victimize other women. Content warning for rape, incest, murder, and other violence.

I just finished reading The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh (Doubleday, on sale Jan 8 2019). The publisher has called this "The Handmaid's Tale meets The Virgin Suicides" and even Margaret Atwood got in on the praise, calling it, "A gripping, sinister fable!" I tend to agree--I couldn't put it down, despite the knots of discomfort it put in my stomach. It touches on escapism and ritual, the bonds of family and desire of all kinds. It's like a violent storm breaking a heat wave.

This story is a metaphor for... something. The inherent violence we all harbor inside us? The idea that relations between men and women can never be peaceful? I honestly don't know. The writing is lovely, lyrical and haunting but too veiled for me. Are men really a threat to women in the outside world, or is the sickness a metaphor? Or is it just that Grace, Lia, and Sky's parents are incredibly manipulative and abusive (physicallyand psychologically)? Although some things become clear(er) by the end of the book, much is left in obscurity.

I can't decide if this is a simply a cautionary tale against men, against the destruction of our natural habitats, or against society as a whole. There is a power struggle between the parents and three sisters. Even after the "death" of the father, he still played a prominent role in the family's traditions and behavior.

This story was never cohesive at all. The viewpoints switched often and were so similar I had a very hard time determining which sister was narrating. I would note warnings for self harm and violence; this is certainly not a young adult novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Water Cure has beautiful prose, unmatched by anything I've read recently, but I unfortunately got very easily confused by the story line. When I read for long periods of time I could follow things, but as soon as I took a break and picked it up later I found myself struggling to figure it all out again.

If you follow my blog or social media, you will know that I love the dystopia genre. The Water Cure immediately caught my attention when I read the synopsis and saw that it was compared to The Virgin Suicides and The Handmaid's Tale. The Handmaid's Tale is one of my all time favorite books so I was excited to start this one.

This story is told mostly from Lia's perspective, but there are also chapters that are labeled with all three sister's names; Lia, Grace and Sky and you can't really tell who is speaking. Later in the book there are some chapters from Grace's perspective as well. The first few chapters of this book were a bit slow and a bit confusing, as they don't explain much about the outside world. The story then starts moving along at a faster pace and we get a lot of information about the current life of this family, as well as information about what is in the rest of the world. I will say though that we never do really get an explanation about the outside world and we never know the location where this book is taking place. The explanation about the rest of the world is basically that the world has become toxic, especially to women and men are all extremely dangerous.

The story follows the sisters through there daily lives and the wide variety of therapies and treatments that the girls receive regularly. Some of these were quite cruel and surprised me in their intensity. The way the book is written and the way the girls behave did indeed remind me of The Handmaid's Tale. The comparison to The Handmaid's Tale is also accurate with some things throughout the book. I initially gave this book 3 stars, bu after thinking about it more, I decided to change it to 4 stars. The book is very interesting and it will have readers trying to figure out what is going on the entire time. The way it is written from multiple perspectives is interesting, but I definitely enjoyed reading from Lia's perspective most of the time. She is an interesting character and I found it quite fascinating to be in the mind of a character who grew up segregated from the rest of the world, basically in a cult like atmosphere.

The ending of the book surprised me, as did the events in the last few chapters. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the book would end and although I figured a few things out, the author did a great job surprising me in the end. The whole book focuses on how men are evil, but in the end the women are pretty brainwashed. My only problem with this book is "hate all men because they are evil and band together with your sisters" mindset. I think some people will see this more as a feminist book and less of a dystopian. This was initially how I felt when I finished the book, which isn't my thing at all. But once I thought about it more, even with the feminism views, it is really a great story. So I decided not to focus on that aspect and instead focused more on the story and the writing.

Overall, I thought this was a very interesting story and I really enjoyed the characters and the author's writing. I look forward to reading more work from the author in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Doubleday, for sending me an ARC of this book.

This dystopic fiction is Sophie Mackintosh's debut novel and was long listed for the 2018 Man Booker prize. It is one of those novels that if you haven't read anything of the synopsis, the initial set-up of the story might be a little confusing. The Water Cure is narrated by the three sisters and is reported in alternating perspectives, with the switchovers happening very quickly - within a page or two. Other than that, there are sections narrated by a united trio to show the of universality of their experiences, the borderline abuse endured by their parents, the fears that don't dissipate with age and their complex reactions to the stories they have been told about why they inhabit this world and what the outside looks like. As a literary metaphor, The Water Cure touches on the dangers of New Age treatments and the need to regulate health care but also discusses feminist issues by exploring how risk and ruin can lurk inside what looks like a safe haven.
I enjoyed aspects of the storytelling, especially the way the author sets up the binary gender differences as the cause and effect of the suffering being detailed in the book, with men as perpetrators and women as victims and later how she challenges her own idea in showing how their experiences varied with their ages. I liked how the characters' names reflected their interaction with each other but even that didn't carry through for all the cast.
However, while this had a good plot, I wasn't a fan of the storytelling. There were parts of the narrative that felt wordy and in Part 1, the sisters voices didn't feel sufficiently unique to distinguish between their stories. I appreciated the imagery and I was very much anticipating whether Makintosh would present a trans-gender or androgynous character and what that would look like.
I gave this a 3 star rating because:
I liked the different responses to water from within and exposure to alternate sources, and how one was encouraged and the other banned.
I enjoyed the character's names and how they both embodied and rejected those meanings
I admired the premise that parental sacrifices are not always understood or even accepted by their children and if this was the metaphor behind this unlikely story, then it was an interesting way to present this age-old rebellion in a new way, and give an alternate view of how life lessons often feel like torture.
I didn't really care for how disposable some of the characters felt and I searched for what their ambiguous disappearances meant and couldn't find the greater meaning.
If dangerous love was the overall theme of the story, then it wasn't my favorite thing to read about.
Aspects of this book reminded me Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi as well as The Roanoke Girls.