Like Water on Stone

Blending magical realism and lyrical free verse, readers of The Book Thief and Between Shades of Gray will be inspired by this intense survival story of three siblings caught up in the horrific events of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

The Eagle—Narrator and symbolic guiding parental spirit who vows to protect the children on their journey after their parents are slaughtered.

Shahen—The educated son, and pride of his family's next generation who yearns to leave his homeland for New York, until he's faced with overwhelming challenges of survival.

Sosi—Shahen's twin sister, treasures everything about their home, but leaves it behind to survive and finds that her village, culture, and memories will always be inside her.

Format—Magical realism and free verse reflect the fragmentary dream like connections across space and time that we often have with our ancestors. While the story is firmly rooted in historical facts, the magical elements ground and hold the reader and draw deeply on the story-telling traditions of the Middle East. The spare free verse captures the shared humanity that transcends cultural divisions among peoples and provides space for readers to process the horror of genocide and to access a world very different from their own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DANA WALRATH, writer, poet, artist, Fulbright Scholar, and second generation Armenian, is committed to the movement for reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. She believes an honest reckoning of history, apology and forgiveness is essential for healing and will help bring about peace in the future. She lives in Vermont.