The Weight of Water

I am very torn about this book. There were some things I loved about it but there were some that bothered me.
First, the positives: the topic was fascinating. I remember Hurricane Katrina like it was yesterday. I have been to New Orleans several times and love the city. The research that obviously went into this book was amazing. I learned so much about what happened. The level of attention to that detail was obvious. The events, of course, were compelling. The prose was beautifully written.
Second, the difficulties. The book was a little slow to start. The style was a bit confusing and I am not sure it wasn't intentional. The timeline kept going back and forth and looked at different characters. It seemed to get more focused at the end, as if it was trying to enter the eye of the hurricane, which would be quite ambitious but made it hard for me as a reader (not the focus at the end but the back and forth for much of the book). The prose and the topic were good enough for me to continue reading until I knitted things together but I prefer to be a little less confused in my reading. The confusion extended to the characters and it was hard to keep them all straight, and I knew it might be when I saw a glossary of characters in the beginning. I think I would have preferred a few less characters. At the same time, while we got a good picture of the main character and her sister, we did not of her husband and since he figured prominently at the end, I wished we had seen more of him.
Finally, the book was so packed with plot and characters and for this much content, it seemed a little rushed. Now, I have read many books recently where I think it could have been 100 pages less, but my thinking here is that it might have done the plot justice if the author had slowed down just a little.
That said, I am glad to have read the book and it would be a solid 3.5 stars for me. I am rounding to 4 because it was so ambitious and such an important subject. Just one note, if a reader is looking for a lighthearted read, this is not the book. If the reader is looking for a thought provoking book about an event that many of us THINK we know about but may not really, this would fit the bill.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

An excellent mystery that reminds us that people are frequently much more than who they originally seem to be

Also, chronicles the horrors of hurricane Katerina, and the devastation caused by the fierce storm.

Lastly, a novel about family, redemption and the lasting and healing properties of familial love.