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Let the Water Hold Me Down
Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Still reeling from the loss of his family in an accident that he feels responsible for causing, Hank Singer accepts an invitation to move to the isolated and beautiful state of Chiapas. There, in the streets and cafes of a colonial city nestled in the mountain forests, he settles into the semblance of a new life under the watchful eye of his best friend and former college roommate, César, the charismatic heir to one of Mexico's most powerful families.
But when an army of impoverished Indians calling themselves Zapatistas emerges from the jungle to seize half the state, Hank finds himself a foreigner trapped in someone else's war. The repercussions of the decisions he makes—and does not make—threaten to shatter both his friendship and the renewed life he has found in the Mexican highlands.
In the tradition of Graham Greene's The Quiet American and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms , LET THE WATER HOLD ME DOWN weaves real historical events into a riveting personal narrative about a man who finds himself caught up in a political landscape beyond his control.
But when an army of impoverished Indians calling themselves Zapatistas emerges from the jungle to seize half the state, Hank finds himself a foreigner trapped in someone else's war. The repercussions of the decisions he makes—and does not make—threaten to shatter both his friendship and the renewed life he has found in the Mexican highlands.
In the tradition of Graham Greene's The Quiet American and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms , LET THE WATER HOLD ME DOWN weaves real historical events into a riveting personal narrative about a man who finds himself caught up in a political landscape beyond his control.
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
7 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 4, 2013
I wrote it. I have to give it five stars.
May 11, 2013
I started the second half of this book at Dolores Park in San Francisco–me and my Kindle enjoying the day. The thought of getting a ticket finally scared me enough to get up and feed the meter, so after a little walk I found myself sitting in the Mission in a restaurant window with a beer, a bowl of tortilla soup & mariachi music--it was a pretty solid setting to finish this book and I could not put it down! Congratulations Michael on an amazing novel.
May 30, 2019
The narrator of this novel is an American, depressed by the death of his wife and young daughter, who visits an old college friend just in time to witness the 1994 Zapatista revolution in Mexico. The story is written in a style that tips the hat to Hemingway, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but does remind one that it was written by an English professor. Its somewhat old-fashioned literary feel is increased by a first chapter or two where the narrator spends a lot of time describing another character, sort of like in The Great Gatsby or various other classics you might have read in high school. Much time is also given over to characters smoking cigarettes, which indicates their mood. Last, a supposedly independent-minded damsel in distress, who happens to be breathtakingly beautiful, must be rescued by the narrator in a wildly improbable ending reminiscent of a Dashiell Hammett novel. Although I was constantly reminded of other books and authors, this book is admittedly well written, the plot involving, and the story informative about an interesting time and place in Mexico. I have one more quibble, however: a title and cover with more of a South-of-the-Border theme would be better. Despite these reservations, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who won't be turned off by some pretty foul f-bombs and a couple of really nasty scenes (sadistic violence and sex).
July 6, 2013
Absolutely loved "Let the Water Hold Me Down" by Michael Spurgeon. It's a great story: quiet yet epic, terrifying yet beautiful. It still managed to surprise me even when I saw it coming. How does that happen? Brilliant writing, that's how. Spurgeon drops the reader off on the edge of the story, leaves us wanting more, leaves us with a little resolution but not enough slack out thirst for the whole. The way different people and different cultures blend and collide, the novel slices through the borderlands between love and desire, friendship and hate, right and wrong, fear and courage. The reader will want to smack Hank on the back of the head at points, but they will always be pulling for him every step of the way.
Anyway, I don't want to give spoilers by giving specifics, but the world of Chiapas, the beginning Zapatista uprising, even the loud female tourist with bad accent and horrible manners, will stay with you. In that easy way we can become friends over a cold beer and a long night of conversation, this novel and its characters will befriend you.
I say read it.
Anyway, I don't want to give spoilers by giving specifics, but the world of Chiapas, the beginning Zapatista uprising, even the loud female tourist with bad accent and horrible manners, will stay with you. In that easy way we can become friends over a cold beer and a long night of conversation, this novel and its characters will befriend you.
I say read it.
May 1, 2022
I recently read this for my English class, and couldn't actually put it down. There are some areas that I wish had been a little more developed, and the female characters could have been a little less predictable, but all in all it was a good read.
June 19, 2013
I absolutely loved it! Couldn't put it down- read it over the course of about two days. Deep, delicious, resonant, poetic.
July 10, 2013
Before I get into my review for "Let The Water Hold Me Down", let me state that I know the author, Michael Spurgeon. In fact he is a former professor, adviser and mentor of mine, not that this will prevent me from writing what I really feel about his book, in fact it may even make me want to exact some revenge for too harshly graded writings of my own. I also know Prof. Spurgeon on a personal level and consider him a friend. I know the way this novel weaves in and out of his personal life, both as a writer "writing what he knows" and as a passion project that became his first published novel. Knowing the number of revisions that took place, the pages rewritten at the behest of publishers that wanted to change the theme of the novel and the struggles that took place in re-imagining the ending; I take some measure of pride in knowing the man that produced such an engaging and approachable book of loss and love, friendship and betrayal & an exploration into a man that comes of age after living his first life.
The novel begins in first person with the narrator telling us how he met his compadre (little inside secret, the original title of the book was "Compadres", I wish it had remained so though I think the published title fits the author's poetic style better), Cesar. A picture is painted of Cesar in much minute detail that I feel more connected to him than I do the narrator, I can imagine Cesar with his charming smile and athletic build far better than I can the man behind the voice in my head. The sole dark spot on this novel (in my eyes) is that I never see the narrator, not really. I do not know what he looks like except that he has a beard before he goes to see Cesar's parents and shaves it off to be presentable to them. Not that this detracts from the story much, I just find it interesting that the author does such a great job of describing the people in the book but never the voice through which tells the story.
Moving on, we meet Cesar and then come to find out what tragedy led to the narrator to move to Mexico, we are also given the name of our protagonist, Hank. Hank has a horrible event happen to him that haunts him for roughly a year, haunts him to the point that he decides to give up his job and life in America to move to San Cristobal, Chiapas Mexico to be with his compadre, Cesar. The move is impulsive and Hank begins to regret it the minute he walks inside the high walled gate of the estate of the Lobos de Madrid family in San Cristobal. He doesn't flee though, he realizes that his ghosts will haunt him no matter where he goes, that he may as well try to forget them here, with his best friend around to keep him occupied.
Only that doesn't happen. Cesar's family is rich and powerful and Cesar is essentially being groomed to take over the company when the time comes, so there are things that he must do for his family and their interests. This keeps him away a lot of the time (often for odd lengths of time) and gives Hank some time to wander the local streets and meet some other interesting characters. I won't really get into who Hank meets, why a woman decides to call him Henry or where the cocaine came from, but it all happened and it all matters. There is not a word written on the page that doesn't need to be read, Michael Spurgeon isn't one for unnecessary words.
There are two sex scenes in the book, that there are that many surprised me to be honest, I hadn't expected it from what I knew of the book and I am glad I was not prepared. Mainly because the first one was awkward and almost painful to read, quick and full of suggestive and unsexy words that made me happy when it was over. And then it was and the next morning comes and it is suddenly January 1st, 1994. The Zapatista uprising has begun and we find Henry watching the rebels take of the municipal building in the zocalo of San Cristobal. This is Mexican history unfolding before the eyes of our narrator, brought to life by a man that was there, watching these events unfold. The sex from the night before was a precursor to the events of the next day, the attempted liberation of the impoverished indigenous people of the region and all of Mexico. We get to bear witness to the tanks rolling through streets paved hundreds of years before, the armed soldiers standing guard in the square to prevent the return of the men, women and children armed with wooden guns.
The second sex scene is the one to look for, in the passion of terror and conflict we see "sex" tossed to the side, "fucking" doesn't describe what happens, instead to use the author's own words: "It was revenge for being alive." One of my favorite lines from the book.
At its heart, "Let The Water Hold Me Down" is really the coming of age story of a late 20-something, educated, white male in Mexico, forced to take a stand and declare that something is worth fighting for, even if that means he might have to kill or be killed. Hank reflects throughout the book on how easy he had life before the tragedy that was the catalyst for this all, how little effort he had to put into making things work, it was all so natural and fell into place. He comes to realize that anything can be taken away and that while some things you have to let go of, there are some things that you can fight to keep even kill to keep safe.
This isn't a happy book, not really. Sure, Hank survives and we see the first person narrative move from past tense to the present, we see him speak of the future and what might happen. 1994 was a long time ago now, too many do not know who the Zapatista are and Hank learns that everything worth fighting for comes with a cost, growth comes from loss and Mickey Mouse t-shirts on gringo cowboys are moments that should be held onto in those moments when all that was has been lost under the flow of the dark water.
http://elucidationsoffatesjoke.wordpr...
The novel begins in first person with the narrator telling us how he met his compadre (little inside secret, the original title of the book was "Compadres", I wish it had remained so though I think the published title fits the author's poetic style better), Cesar. A picture is painted of Cesar in much minute detail that I feel more connected to him than I do the narrator, I can imagine Cesar with his charming smile and athletic build far better than I can the man behind the voice in my head. The sole dark spot on this novel (in my eyes) is that I never see the narrator, not really. I do not know what he looks like except that he has a beard before he goes to see Cesar's parents and shaves it off to be presentable to them. Not that this detracts from the story much, I just find it interesting that the author does such a great job of describing the people in the book but never the voice through which tells the story.
Moving on, we meet Cesar and then come to find out what tragedy led to the narrator to move to Mexico, we are also given the name of our protagonist, Hank. Hank has a horrible event happen to him that haunts him for roughly a year, haunts him to the point that he decides to give up his job and life in America to move to San Cristobal, Chiapas Mexico to be with his compadre, Cesar. The move is impulsive and Hank begins to regret it the minute he walks inside the high walled gate of the estate of the Lobos de Madrid family in San Cristobal. He doesn't flee though, he realizes that his ghosts will haunt him no matter where he goes, that he may as well try to forget them here, with his best friend around to keep him occupied.
Only that doesn't happen. Cesar's family is rich and powerful and Cesar is essentially being groomed to take over the company when the time comes, so there are things that he must do for his family and their interests. This keeps him away a lot of the time (often for odd lengths of time) and gives Hank some time to wander the local streets and meet some other interesting characters. I won't really get into who Hank meets, why a woman decides to call him Henry or where the cocaine came from, but it all happened and it all matters. There is not a word written on the page that doesn't need to be read, Michael Spurgeon isn't one for unnecessary words.
There are two sex scenes in the book, that there are that many surprised me to be honest, I hadn't expected it from what I knew of the book and I am glad I was not prepared. Mainly because the first one was awkward and almost painful to read, quick and full of suggestive and unsexy words that made me happy when it was over. And then it was and the next morning comes and it is suddenly January 1st, 1994. The Zapatista uprising has begun and we find Henry watching the rebels take of the municipal building in the zocalo of San Cristobal. This is Mexican history unfolding before the eyes of our narrator, brought to life by a man that was there, watching these events unfold. The sex from the night before was a precursor to the events of the next day, the attempted liberation of the impoverished indigenous people of the region and all of Mexico. We get to bear witness to the tanks rolling through streets paved hundreds of years before, the armed soldiers standing guard in the square to prevent the return of the men, women and children armed with wooden guns.
The second sex scene is the one to look for, in the passion of terror and conflict we see "sex" tossed to the side, "fucking" doesn't describe what happens, instead to use the author's own words: "It was revenge for being alive." One of my favorite lines from the book.
At its heart, "Let The Water Hold Me Down" is really the coming of age story of a late 20-something, educated, white male in Mexico, forced to take a stand and declare that something is worth fighting for, even if that means he might have to kill or be killed. Hank reflects throughout the book on how easy he had life before the tragedy that was the catalyst for this all, how little effort he had to put into making things work, it was all so natural and fell into place. He comes to realize that anything can be taken away and that while some things you have to let go of, there are some things that you can fight to keep even kill to keep safe.
This isn't a happy book, not really. Sure, Hank survives and we see the first person narrative move from past tense to the present, we see him speak of the future and what might happen. 1994 was a long time ago now, too many do not know who the Zapatista are and Hank learns that everything worth fighting for comes with a cost, growth comes from loss and Mickey Mouse t-shirts on gringo cowboys are moments that should be held onto in those moments when all that was has been lost under the flow of the dark water.
http://elucidationsoffatesjoke.wordpr...
September 7, 2017
Not for those sensitive to sexual content, drugs, alcohol use, cursing and violent content.
That said, it's extremely well written. The beginning was slow (for me) but not too slow that it kept me from finishing the story. It's difficult to explain what I enjoyed most about this book without giving things away. I enjoyed the characters, both the heroes and villains, the subtle foreshadowing, the way the MC basically falls into this insane revolutionary situation without having a clue. Instead of being provoked by a specific political agenda, the reader is left to discover things as the MC does, which always makes for a well-done story.
That said, it's extremely well written. The beginning was slow (for me) but not too slow that it kept me from finishing the story. It's difficult to explain what I enjoyed most about this book without giving things away. I enjoyed the characters, both the heroes and villains, the subtle foreshadowing, the way the MC basically falls into this insane revolutionary situation without having a clue. Instead of being provoked by a specific political agenda, the reader is left to discover things as the MC does, which always makes for a well-done story.
December 10, 2017
This book was my favorite to read during my entire semester of college. I thought it was going to be a boring book with a whack plot, and it wasn't boring, but it did have a whack plot! I usually enjoy books that are heavy in literary devices and reading between the lines such as Shakespeare, but I think this one really takes the cake. I really enjoyed this and every time I sat down to read it I always ended up spending way time on it than I needed to just because I couldn't really stop. The characters are fantastic and they compliment each other very well. The plot always had me on the edge of my seat and I loved the writing itself. Very enjoyable. I definitely recommend!
December 6, 2017
Spurgeon creates a conflict that has a hidden resolution (I honestly did not catch it until he talked about his book). There is also foreshadowing written all over the book and that greatly influenced my outlook on the characters. This book is filled with emotional and physical adventures and the underlining message of poverty gives the book a greater aspect to it than it already had. I got into the book really quickly, but lacked time so it took me longer to read than I had hoped. It took me 3 days to read in all and I still had time to function normally. I loved this book!!!!
May 18, 2022
Michael Spurgeon was my professor this semester and when he mentioned he wrote a book I had to check it out. The book held my attention the whole time and had me invested in the character’s relationships. The death of the narrator's wife and child was the motivation for him to move to Chiapas. He stayed there out of personal obligation when things got crazy. The ending was surprising to me and was well worth the anticipation. I loved the story and had a fun time seeing a little further into my professor's mind and work. Thanks for the amazing semester, I’m a better writer for it!
January 6, 2019
I happened to read this book at a moment that made it more meaningful, especially the ending. Apropos that the line I’ll remember is “How had I failed to choose?” My only complaint is that it was hard to really understand how Henry didn’t see the end coming. Maybe it’s hard to unknow what’s happened in Mexico in the two decades or so since the time of he story.
April 6, 2019
What a book! Let the Water Hold Me Down takes place in San Cristobál de Las Casas, Chiapas, during the Zapatista uprising against the corrupt Mexican government. It’s a love story many times over, a tale of friendship, and a book about the complicated politics in Mexico, seen through the eyes of a grieving American expat. The writing is superb. I can’t recommend this highly enough.
December 7, 2017
I loved this novel. It follows a naive white man who moves to San Cristobal de las Casas right before a civilian uprising to escape his reality. It starts a little slowly but it is extremely well written. You will not want to put it down.
February 10, 2019
A YA level story about family, loss, friends and Mexico. The first half really lacked style and grace; the second half was a little more interesting and professional. A quick, easy read.
Read
December 5, 2021q
December 30, 2022
This was assigned reading for an English class so I went in without high expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Great storytelling!
Read
May 16, 2016The novel Let the Water Hold Me Down by Michael Spurgeon is a suspenseful but also very beautiful and interesting story it leaves the readers so engaged to the point that it’s tough to put the book down. The protagonist of the novel Hank Singer looks for an escape from reality after the tragic death of his family. After dealing with a gruesome depression that no one could get him out of, he then decides to take the offer of his former college roommate/best friend and travels to his home town of San Cristobal Chiapas in Mexico. Despite the fact that he roomed with his best friend all throughout college he had convinced himself that he knew him very well due to the fact they had so much in common despite only knowing him for a couple years in college but he was very wrong. Without giving any spoilers His best friend Cesar seems to be hiding many suspicious secrets, including the way his wealthy family got their fortune and fame. Hank’s vacation of a few weeks in Mexico will turn out to be life changing and will impact his views on life and family forever.
The way both American and Mexican cultures collide is simply astonishing, the way Hank seems to get use to the lifestyle of living in Mexico is portrayed so realistic and can perhaps connect with many people in various ways. I personally connected with him through this story by having to get use to a complete different culture, when I was younger I traveled to Mexico City with my parents for a couple of months not knowing anyone or the language, it was tough to deal with at first but something to eventually get use to. Throughout the entire story we are taken in a journey of grieving the loss of love one and the way mexican men learn to cope with something as harsh as losing their their wife and child. I see this a lot in many cultures but especially the mexican culture. Men tend to be very reserved about their true feeling when it comes to losing someone so close to you. Their beliefs are that because you are a man you have to stay strong be a “macho man” and never cry despite what hard obstacles life throws at you. You probably won't understand how the title connects to the story until you reach the end of the story, When Hank describes his entire journey from his point of view and from when he first arrived in Mexico to when he leaves. One thing I can say is that the narrator does an excellent job as portraying his feelings throughout every event that occurs to him and his surroundings. It’s so deep that you even feel as if you know you Hank and can relate to him in your own unique way. You’ll have a connection with this character in particular and you’ll feel as if you want to smack him upside the head at times but in the end you’ll understand that he only wanted to love someone and be loved, . And he’ll do even the craziest things in order to get that. I believe the story was written at a good pace you never got left with any doubt and if you were convinced of what was going to happen next, it had a crazy turn of events and turned out to be the complete opposite. I never really read any books, but I truly enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it.
The way both American and Mexican cultures collide is simply astonishing, the way Hank seems to get use to the lifestyle of living in Mexico is portrayed so realistic and can perhaps connect with many people in various ways. I personally connected with him through this story by having to get use to a complete different culture, when I was younger I traveled to Mexico City with my parents for a couple of months not knowing anyone or the language, it was tough to deal with at first but something to eventually get use to. Throughout the entire story we are taken in a journey of grieving the loss of love one and the way mexican men learn to cope with something as harsh as losing their their wife and child. I see this a lot in many cultures but especially the mexican culture. Men tend to be very reserved about their true feeling when it comes to losing someone so close to you. Their beliefs are that because you are a man you have to stay strong be a “macho man” and never cry despite what hard obstacles life throws at you. You probably won't understand how the title connects to the story until you reach the end of the story, When Hank describes his entire journey from his point of view and from when he first arrived in Mexico to when he leaves. One thing I can say is that the narrator does an excellent job as portraying his feelings throughout every event that occurs to him and his surroundings. It’s so deep that you even feel as if you know you Hank and can relate to him in your own unique way. You’ll have a connection with this character in particular and you’ll feel as if you want to smack him upside the head at times but in the end you’ll understand that he only wanted to love someone and be loved, . And he’ll do even the craziest things in order to get that. I believe the story was written at a good pace you never got left with any doubt and if you were convinced of what was going to happen next, it had a crazy turn of events and turned out to be the complete opposite. I never really read any books, but I truly enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it.
August 8, 2013
Here's my review, in the San Francisco Chronicle, of Michael's excellent novel.
Hank Singer, the protagonist and narrator of Michael Spurgeon's debut novel, "Let the Water Hold Me Down," is in dismal straits at the outset of this saga, after his wife and young daughter have drowned in a canoeing accident for which he (rightly) holds himself responsible.
In search of emotional escape and relief from being "perpetually aware of the garden hose in the backyard and my car in the garage," he accepts a long-standing invitation from an affluent college chum, César Lobos de Madrid, to stay with him at one of the oligarchical family's properties in Chiapas.
All is not as it seems when he arrives, though, and Hank quickly finds himself embroiled in the complicated politics of post-NAFTA Mexico, in which his pal, whose career as a budding and carefree soccer star had been foreshortened by injury, is playing a significant and menacing role.
Hank's romance with Maria, a waitress at the restaurant where he has signed on as a doorman to make ends meet, while César flies around closing mysterious deals on behalf of his family's interests, spells trouble for their friendship, because César's previous romance with her had gone deeply awry.
But in the tradition of Robert Stone, it takes a while for this damaged innocent abroad to realize just how much trouble he has got himself into on this "improbable vacation."
"I felt a million miles and a million years from my life back in the states," Singer reflects.
Hank and Maria find themselves eyewitnesses to history, in the form of the Zapatista rebellion, as it begins in the town square next to her apartment. Fleeing retaliatory strikes by the Mexican army, the star-crossed lovers retreat to César's compound, but Singer finds himself evicted when he confesses his romance to his friend.
His exile deepens as he discovers César's participation in the execution of rebels at his family's estate, and the murder of a dissident journalist, along with his growing recognition that "by doing nothing I had aligned myself with César and is family, and what they stood for - wealth and power and commerce over people."
Spurgeon, a Sacramento writer who lived in San Cristóbal de las Casas during the rebellion, obviously knows whereof he speaks, but to his credit, the novel doesn't descend into agitprop.
He has a laconic, understated voice, akin to Hemingway's notion of successful prose as an iceberg, whose tip reveals the depths within - even as the novel speeds to a dramatic close, in which the dirty secrets of his once-prized boon companion come to the fore and Hank is forced to confront the limits of friendship and of human endurance.
It's ultimately a story of redemption, and recovery, as Hank and Maria manage to find solace with each other as they bid their own farewell to arms.
Hank Singer, the protagonist and narrator of Michael Spurgeon's debut novel, "Let the Water Hold Me Down," is in dismal straits at the outset of this saga, after his wife and young daughter have drowned in a canoeing accident for which he (rightly) holds himself responsible.
In search of emotional escape and relief from being "perpetually aware of the garden hose in the backyard and my car in the garage," he accepts a long-standing invitation from an affluent college chum, César Lobos de Madrid, to stay with him at one of the oligarchical family's properties in Chiapas.
All is not as it seems when he arrives, though, and Hank quickly finds himself embroiled in the complicated politics of post-NAFTA Mexico, in which his pal, whose career as a budding and carefree soccer star had been foreshortened by injury, is playing a significant and menacing role.
Hank's romance with Maria, a waitress at the restaurant where he has signed on as a doorman to make ends meet, while César flies around closing mysterious deals on behalf of his family's interests, spells trouble for their friendship, because César's previous romance with her had gone deeply awry.
But in the tradition of Robert Stone, it takes a while for this damaged innocent abroad to realize just how much trouble he has got himself into on this "improbable vacation."
"I felt a million miles and a million years from my life back in the states," Singer reflects.
Hank and Maria find themselves eyewitnesses to history, in the form of the Zapatista rebellion, as it begins in the town square next to her apartment. Fleeing retaliatory strikes by the Mexican army, the star-crossed lovers retreat to César's compound, but Singer finds himself evicted when he confesses his romance to his friend.
His exile deepens as he discovers César's participation in the execution of rebels at his family's estate, and the murder of a dissident journalist, along with his growing recognition that "by doing nothing I had aligned myself with César and is family, and what they stood for - wealth and power and commerce over people."
Spurgeon, a Sacramento writer who lived in San Cristóbal de las Casas during the rebellion, obviously knows whereof he speaks, but to his credit, the novel doesn't descend into agitprop.
He has a laconic, understated voice, akin to Hemingway's notion of successful prose as an iceberg, whose tip reveals the depths within - even as the novel speeds to a dramatic close, in which the dirty secrets of his once-prized boon companion come to the fore and Hank is forced to confront the limits of friendship and of human endurance.
It's ultimately a story of redemption, and recovery, as Hank and Maria manage to find solace with each other as they bid their own farewell to arms.
October 27, 2013
A boldly written first novel!
Hank, your average American young man of typical middle class America seems to have a normal childhood, going down a comfortable road to a pretty normal life, but for two things, he befriends a charismatic foreign student Cesar and he marries a wonderful woman and starts a family. When he has a child he asks Cesar to be the Godfather and in Mexico, a Godfather is a special relationship and their friendship is set. Then his wife and child die and Hank is lost to the world, and in a last ditch effort to bring himself out of the hell of losing his family he goes to stay with his friend Cesar in his home in Mexico. Cesar is a wealthy land owner and has been raised in the old landed gentry style of the colonizers of Mexico and life is good for him.... then the Zapatistas rise up and there is civil war.... Hank is forced to come alive and really LIVE.... he has to make choices when he seemed to just float through life before, life has become vital and important again and Hank needs to choose the right course.
I was drawn in from the beginning, for a first novel it was boldly written with strong interactions and language, and the weaving in of Spanish in with English made it more realistic. I think the author took risks and it paid off in a novel that has the ability to be both rooted in time, yet timeless, that aspect that makes some novels great. I think that the only fault may be some smoothness that will come with practice and if he continues to write in this vein, maybe adding more depth to the situation and to the characters, the author could easily have a novel that could be a classic. I CERTAINLY am looking forward to his next book.
Hank, your average American young man of typical middle class America seems to have a normal childhood, going down a comfortable road to a pretty normal life, but for two things, he befriends a charismatic foreign student Cesar and he marries a wonderful woman and starts a family. When he has a child he asks Cesar to be the Godfather and in Mexico, a Godfather is a special relationship and their friendship is set. Then his wife and child die and Hank is lost to the world, and in a last ditch effort to bring himself out of the hell of losing his family he goes to stay with his friend Cesar in his home in Mexico. Cesar is a wealthy land owner and has been raised in the old landed gentry style of the colonizers of Mexico and life is good for him.... then the Zapatistas rise up and there is civil war.... Hank is forced to come alive and really LIVE.... he has to make choices when he seemed to just float through life before, life has become vital and important again and Hank needs to choose the right course.
I was drawn in from the beginning, for a first novel it was boldly written with strong interactions and language, and the weaving in of Spanish in with English made it more realistic. I think the author took risks and it paid off in a novel that has the ability to be both rooted in time, yet timeless, that aspect that makes some novels great. I think that the only fault may be some smoothness that will come with practice and if he continues to write in this vein, maybe adding more depth to the situation and to the characters, the author could easily have a novel that could be a classic. I CERTAINLY am looking forward to his next book.
January 20, 2014
An historical novel about Zapatista uprising in Chiapas in 1994. I know little to nothing about Mexican/Central American/South American history, so it was all new to me. Also an exploration of relationships and how fragile they can be if we really don't appreciate the underpinnings, or perhaps to put it another way, how innocent we can be about each other.
Local author who was kind enough to come to our book club, so a lot more background information than I usually get. Further local touch - it is a nice addition to the start-up publication arm of a local community college, so what's not to like?
Pretty clear, straightforward prose - easy to read, although as most revolutions, painful, violent and bloody as hell at times.
Local author who was kind enough to come to our book club, so a lot more background information than I usually get. Further local touch - it is a nice addition to the start-up publication arm of a local community college, so what's not to like?
Pretty clear, straightforward prose - easy to read, although as most revolutions, painful, violent and bloody as hell at times.
December 8, 2016
Let the Water started off slow, with lots of build up around César, the compadre of the author. I liked the easy transitions between English with Spanish sprinkled in. It was clunky, chunky, akin to brutalist architecture, but in literary style. Nonetheless, nearing chapter 25 the plot began to pick up steam compelling me to just sit down and finish it all in one long afternoon read, extremely engaging from that point to the end. The conclusion left me sad and a bit disconcerted, however. A tragedy of spirit and soul. Still, there were many memorable moments. Culturally and historically accurate, a realism that can be conveyed only by one who who has lived such experiences. A worthy read.
July 12, 2013
This book is a great read with a thought provoking and muscular narrative. It drew me in quickly and struck me on several levels. First as a well written exploration of grief and the ways we cope with unexpected tragedy, secondly as a sweeping love story, and lastly, as an interesting political commentary on how Americans deal with turbulence in other parts of this continent. I highly recommend this book!
September 5, 2025
It’s been 10 years since I read this book and I still think about it. I had the opportunity to read this as part of a book group where the author joined us to discuss.
I keeping checking Goodreads for a sequel or follow-up novel from the author.
Worth the read.
I keeping checking Goodreads for a sequel or follow-up novel from the author.
Worth the read.
June 23, 2014
Loved it! Well done Michael Spurgeon!
December 5, 2013
great book, great writing, was like a real story, i've been to setting, very accurate description of the place, crazy ending!
December 28, 2013
I loved this story, then I gave it to my husband and enjoyed the faces and noises he made as he read it. Particularly liked a metaphor comparing a broken heart to crushed birds.
August 16, 2013
really enjoyable read. started slower and kept picking up.
December 8, 2017
This was a wild book through and through. At first I thought this may be a rather boring book, but the action came along just as quickly. This is Spurgeon’s first novel and it’s absolutely amazing. My class and I got to meet him and ask him anything about the book. It was literally magical to experience that. He lived in Chiapas and there are so many little details that he actually recalls and wrote in the book just from being there at the time. I recommend this if you’re looking for a book that moves swiftly, filled with action, romance, betrayal, and blood.
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