I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I’m charged to read.

Mostly because I’m asstounded with what Moss can accomplish with so few pages.

Had been looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it wasn’t for me. It just lacked a good plot to get you excited and wanting more. It was very slow paced and never picked up

Sarah Moss delivers an ambitious and intricated woven tale in SUMMERWATER, spotlighting her talent for multiple narrative viewpoints. There is a coldness, however, to the story: I craved more fire and passion. But the prose is strong and compelling.

SUMMERWATER by Sarah Moss is a novel told from the multiple perspectives of vacationers renting cabins in rural Scotland, interspersed with vignettes, that according to the publisher seeks to "[explore] our capacity for kinship and cruelty." At 202 pages, it's a relatively short read.

I went in with no expectations but finished feeling disappointed regardless. What is promised to be a poignant and claustrophobic and funny tale felt, to me, very cold and boring. I didn't think this book was particularly original or engaging, and I ended up skimming a lot of the second half because the characters all started to feel the same and the prose dragged. I suppose I was expecting something with a little more substance, something more like Rumaan Alam's LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND. Ultimately, I didn't enjoy this and don't plan on revisiting Sarah Moss.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book. I really was interested in this book because of the cover and description but I this book was just not for me at all

loved the structure of this so much, the interconnected short stories and the tiny vignettes about nature (especially the one about the fawn; and all chapter titles). appreciate immensely how sarah moss builds tension and asks you to pay very close attention. atmospheric and claustrophobic.

My very first Sarah Moss, and an extraordinary reading experience. I'm still reeling from that ending, and I'm in awe of Sarah Moss's ability to slowly and creepily build her story, dropping in scenes of violence and horror that seem to move past in a blip but wind up impacting the whole thing in truly shocking ways. Moss's understanding of the outsider-mind, partnerships of all kinds, and complex family dynamics inform the reading here. Her observations, her internal monologues, the intricate details that build this cast of characters and lead them to an unforgettable final scene is a mind boggling achievement. After reading this, I picked up Ghost Wall and was similarly stunned.

Something ghostlike to this authors work. Thankyou for sharing this exclusive book now released to greet success thankyou

I absolutely loved Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss, and went in with perhaps too high of expectations for her latest novel Summerwater. While the language is lovely and the setting divine, I felt only a middling appreciation by the end. Set in Scotland in unrelenting rain, the novel jumps too quickly for my liking. I’m glad I read it, as Moss writes beautifully at times (even when describing things in a grotesque manner), but I don’t know that I would want to repeat the experience.

Summerwater by Sarah Moss is a contemporary fiction novella. This one is set in Scotland so of course I was interested since I love to virtually travel along to interesting places.

The story in this one follows a group of strangers staying at a park in a group of cabins. It’s told in a stream of consciousness writing style as each go about their time while keeping an eye on what the others are doing. Here we have anything from an older retired couple interested in selling to a younger couple chasing the perfect orgasm.

Summerwater is another of those books that a lot of people loved but I just unfortunately was not one of them. Reading twelve different situations it almost felt like a book of short stories and I’m not a huge fan of short stories. The characters just seemed to blend together to move and I felt like this one moved incredibly slowly for such a short read. Perhaps the style, perhaps the story but whatever the case I just wasn’t captured by this one.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was a very lyrical read, where not a lot happens while at the same time, everything is happening. It's a series of vignettes about people on holiday where is just rains all the time, so people are trying to make the best of it, and we get to peek into little slices of their lives, which I love.

I could barely finish this because everyone in it was just so unhappy it was painful to read. Moss is a brilliant writer, but this one wasn't for me.

While lyrical and atmospheric, I found this book rather exhausting. It was a very overwhelmingly dull books and found it difficult to find and hold on to something of interest.

“Summer water” by Sarah Moss is a short, immersive novel set on a rainy day in a Scottish vacation park. The novella skips around to the perspectives of many different characters in a stream of consciousness style. It was compelling, as all Moss’s books are.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I love a book that has one main event and covers the thoughts, emotions and perspectives of the characters involved. That is exactly what happens in Summerwater. As humans, we are meant to try to size up other people and to make assumptions about them. It is essential to keep in mind that you cannot judge a person and assume that your thoughts are the reality. This had a great climax but I enjoyed the story and character development just as much. I look forward to reading more of Moss's books. Great read!

This was just okay for me, as most short stories are. I adored the setting as well as the different vantage points of all the characters & their backstories. Although not much really happens. I kept waiting for the story to gain traction & it fell a little flat for me. The ending felt very abrupt and I was like DANG! Right when we were getting started.
Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Strauss & Giroux for sharing this copy with me in exchange for review.

This book was not for me. I have an anxiety disorder and aspects of this book were triggering for me so I DNFed. I do think it is well written and intriguing and for the right person would be a fantastic read.

I'm not a huge fan of stream-of-consciousness writing but this group of characters were instantly interesting. Sarah Moss paints a gorgeous picture of Scotland's scenery. Overall, I liked it.

Wow, I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! The superb character development and uniqueness of the entire story was enthralling! I found this story ti be a nice break from my chosen genre, but also loved that there was a bit of darkness within some characters! It had a lot of emotional storylines, dealing with cabin fever and irritation seemed to bring about a very original, quirky tale! Lots of different feelings within the story, which is sure to captivate most readers! Do highly recommend, even if you don’t think it’s your cuppa, as I promise it’s a very riveting tale!

First published in Great Britain in 2020; published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on January 12, 2021

Summerwater follows a day in the lives of people staying in log cabins at a holiday park on a loch in Scotland. It has been raining for days, a biblical rain that creates an apocalyptic dread. The worries that occupy characters approach the apocalyptic: global warming, Brexit, family discord. Forced to stay inside, family members judge each other. Peering out windows, they judge their neighbors.

Justine is up at dawn, running and thinking about her husband Steve, who complains that she’s obsessed with fitness. Later in the novel, Steve complains (mostly to himself) about the Bulgarians (or maybe they’re Romanians) who keep them awake at night with their parties and loud music. Steve also complains (only to himself) that Justine is on the couch watching porn on her company laptop, at the risk of getting fired and depriving the family of her income.

David is retired, visiting the holiday park with his wife Mary as they did when the kids were young. Taking Mary to a café, David drives too fast in the rain, perhaps in a deliberate attempt to frighten her. David seems to resent the success that his children achieved. He recalls with bitterness his daughter’s youthful lectures about “how everyone ought to behave,” unappreciative of all his generation has done to make life better for her generation (as if a new generation should be grateful that their parents did the things they ought to have done).

Josh and Milly are trying to have simultaneous orgasms because Josh read that their marriage will last longer if they master the technique. Milly thinks about another man to help her along because she’s cold in the cabin and would rather have a cup of tea. They’re planning to move, leaving all their friends behind. Milly sees the unceasing rain as a warning of bad times to come.

The only people who seem to be happy are the Bulgarians/ Romanians with their loud parties. Their daughter Violetta is less happy when she’s told to go back to her own country by Steve’s daughter Lola. Lola's brother Jack worries that the music will bother his mother, who is always tired, but there is something about the carefree manner of the Bulgarians that he finds intriguing.

One of the best chapters involves Alex, a disenchanted 16-year-old who takes his kayak onto the loch during the pouring rain. His parents seem unconcerned about the danger he will face.

Between the chapters that narrate the story are brief chapters that describe the atmosphere or setting. One imagines the impact of soundwaves from the Bulgarians’ music on fox cubs and anthills. The first such chapter reminds us of all the sounds we barely register, the sounds we only notice when they stop. Sarah Moss revisits the theme at the novel’s end, when a boy hears a sound he can never unhear.

Moss writes intense scenes that drip with tension. As Alex maneuvers his kayak across the loch, his hands are so cold he can’t free his grip from the paddle. As Violetta hangs over the loch on a rope, Lola throws stones at her rather than helping her swing back to shore. A little girl named Izzie gazes out her bedroom window at night, certain that something evil is creeping between the cabins. With so much foreshadowing of doom, it isn’t a surprise that the ending is not happy.

The story is powerful but gloomy. It risks becoming oppressive as each chapter generates a new sense of foreboding. Even without the risk of imminent harm that characters often face, the harm caused by the daily grind of life — judgments and nationalism and unkindness within families — is enough to wear the reader down. Some readers might dislike the social commentary.

Yet by the end, the novel suggests that gloom is not the only response to dreary days. Maybe dancing with the Bulgarians is the best approach to creating a community. Still, the ending matches the story’s apocalyptic tone; disaster awaits, dancing only forestalls the inevitable. Readers who want an upbeat novel should look elsewhere. Summerwater nevertheless captures that angst that so many people feel — that perhaps more people should feel — as the world continues its relentless march toward chaos.

RECOMMENDED