Black Water

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book

In Louise Doughty's Black Water, John Harper is in hiding in a remote hut on a tropical island. As he lies awake at night, listening to the rain on the roof, he believes his life may be in danger. But he is less afraid of what is going to happen than of what he's already done.

In a local town, he meets Rita, a woman with her own tragic history. They begin an affair, but can they offer each other redemption? Or do the ghosts of the past always catch up with us in the end?

Moving across three continents and several decades, Black Water explores some of the darkest events of recent history through the story of one troubled man.

LOUISE DOUGHTY is the author of several novels, including Apple Tree Yard (Sarah Crichton Books/FSG), which was a top-ten bestseller in the U.K. and Ireland and has been published or is being translated into twenty-two languages. It was long-listed for The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize and short-listed for the CWA Steel Dagger Award and the National Book Awards Crime/Thriller of the Year.