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Watershed
‘American literature’s philosopher king – and its sharpest satirist’ The New Yorker
On a windswept landscape somewhere north of Denver, Robert Hawks, a feisty and dangerously curious hydrologist, finds himself enmeshed in a fight over Native American treaty rights. What begins for Robert as a peaceful fishing interlude ends in murder and the disclosure of government secrets. In Watershed, Percival Everett turns his focus once again to the injustices of recent American history, exploring the relationship between Native American activists and Black Panther groups who bonded over their shared enemies in the 1960s Civil Rights movement.
Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.
Read Percival’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel James in paperback now.
On a windswept landscape somewhere north of Denver, Robert Hawks, a feisty and dangerously curious hydrologist, finds himself enmeshed in a fight over Native American treaty rights. What begins for Robert as a peaceful fishing interlude ends in murder and the disclosure of government secrets. In Watershed, Percival Everett turns his focus once again to the injustices of recent American history, exploring the relationship between Native American activists and Black Panther groups who bonded over their shared enemies in the 1960s Civil Rights movement.
Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.
Read Percival’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel James in paperback now.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1996
15 people are currently reading
4772 people want to read
About the author
Percival Everett
70 books8,786 followersPercival L. Everett (born 1956) is an American writer and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
There might not be a more fertile mind in American fiction today than Everett’s. In 22 years, he has written 19 books, including a farcical Western, a savage satire of the publishing industry, a children’s story spoofing counting books, retellings of the Greek myths of Medea and Dionysus, and a philosophical tract narrated by a four-year-old.
The Washington Post has called Everett “one of the most adventurously experimental of modern American novelists.” And according to The Boston Globe, “He’s literature’s NASCAR champion, going flat out, narrowly avoiding one seemingly inevitable crash only to steer straight for the next.”
Everett, who teaches courses in creative writing, American studies and critical theory, says he writes about what interests him, which explains his prolific output and the range of subjects he has tackled. He also describes himself as a demanding teacher who learns from his students as much as they learn from him.
Everett’s writing has earned him the PEN USA 2006 Literary Award (for his 2005 novel, Wounded), the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (for his 2001 novel, Erasure), the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature (for his 1996 story collection, Big Picture) and the New American Writing Award (for his 1990 novel, Zulus). He has served as a judge for, among others, the 1997 National Book Award for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1991.
There might not be a more fertile mind in American fiction today than Everett’s. In 22 years, he has written 19 books, including a farcical Western, a savage satire of the publishing industry, a children’s story spoofing counting books, retellings of the Greek myths of Medea and Dionysus, and a philosophical tract narrated by a four-year-old.
The Washington Post has called Everett “one of the most adventurously experimental of modern American novelists.” And according to The Boston Globe, “He’s literature’s NASCAR champion, going flat out, narrowly avoiding one seemingly inevitable crash only to steer straight for the next.”
Everett, who teaches courses in creative writing, American studies and critical theory, says he writes about what interests him, which explains his prolific output and the range of subjects he has tackled. He also describes himself as a demanding teacher who learns from his students as much as they learn from him.
Everett’s writing has earned him the PEN USA 2006 Literary Award (for his 2005 novel, Wounded), the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (for his 2001 novel, Erasure), the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature (for his 1996 story collection, Big Picture) and the New American Writing Award (for his 1990 novel, Zulus). He has served as a judge for, among others, the 1997 National Book Award for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
April 27, 2024
There's not much Everett writes that doesn't turn into gold. At this moment in time, while everyone else is reading 'James', I thought I'd read one of his earlier and lesser known works 'Watershed'. This was originally released in the mid-90's and now re-released (again) by Beacon Press.
When talking about racism, discrimination, prejudice or all of the above, he tends to create characters that are stereotypical, yet real in nature, if that even makes sense. He mixes a bit of seriousness with wit that makes you want to keep reading. Harkening back to his writings in the far and recent past, I would call this an 'Assumption'/'The Trees' hybrid, but it also has its own personality.
I wouldn't say this is a great first exposure to his writing, but the way he mixes in hydrological/American Legal entries, historical fiction and an interesting story is pretty remarkable. When you start an Everett book, you can generally feel as if the same main character is speaking to you in every book; it's as if Everett inserts himself as the main narrator, even though I've never actually heard him speak, it still feels like him. I'm glad he's finally getting some notoriety as he's been an off and on favorite of mine for a decade or more.
When talking about racism, discrimination, prejudice or all of the above, he tends to create characters that are stereotypical, yet real in nature, if that even makes sense. He mixes a bit of seriousness with wit that makes you want to keep reading. Harkening back to his writings in the far and recent past, I would call this an 'Assumption'/'The Trees' hybrid, but it also has its own personality.
I wouldn't say this is a great first exposure to his writing, but the way he mixes in hydrological/American Legal entries, historical fiction and an interesting story is pretty remarkable. When you start an Everett book, you can generally feel as if the same main character is speaking to you in every book; it's as if Everett inserts himself as the main narrator, even though I've never actually heard him speak, it still feels like him. I'm glad he's finally getting some notoriety as he's been an off and on favorite of mine for a decade or more.
August 5, 2025
Percival Everett rose to the top of my favorite author list well over a year ago and has remained there. This being one of his earlier books, it shows how an author's style evolves over time. His most recent book, James touched the heart and soul of millions and many like myself felt its Pulitzer material. As an outlier, I tend toward writers who defy genre categorization, create unique plots and premise and on occasion inject off beat humor. Everett's approach embodies this and then some. The statement used in baseball, 'not every pitch is a strike' is relevant here; hence the 3 star rating.
This is the story of a black hydrologist who's taken a sabbatical in his cabin in the fictional Plata mountain area outside Denver. Robert Hawks was raised in the Detroit area where racial discrimination is an everyday occurrence. Both his father and grandfather were doctors and lived by the Hippocratic oath which meant when white people were injured or ill, they overlooked race, color or ethnicity and delivered. However, they were men 'of God' and lived by the Bible which Robert often struggled with. A lover of the outdoors, he spends most of his time fishing, hiking and enjoying Nature.
The Plata mountain area is home to the Plata Indian reservation and its white residents are primarily racist. When Hawks learns of the murder of FBI agents on the reservation, he becomes a target having been seen with an Indian female who they suspected was the culprit. Rob encounters an FBI agent at the local bar who's inebriated and then some. Unable to drive, he takes her to his cabin where she passes out. The following morning, he's treated as if he was involved in the murders. The plot incorporates his former dysfunctional girlfriend Karen, her father, Indians and countless others.
I found Everett's frequent use of statements in italics related to BIA legislation, hydrology and other elements, disruptive and disjointed though I do understand the relevance. Of all his books, this is the most racially driven. Similar to "James" he uses the narrative to make a statement about race in America which while important, isn't my personal 'cup of tea':) Writing is art and individual tastes vary.
When I reflect on "Assumption", "The Trees" or "I am Not Sidney Poitier" this pales in comparison. Regardless if you enjoy his narratives, it may be worthy of adding to your list.
This is the story of a black hydrologist who's taken a sabbatical in his cabin in the fictional Plata mountain area outside Denver. Robert Hawks was raised in the Detroit area where racial discrimination is an everyday occurrence. Both his father and grandfather were doctors and lived by the Hippocratic oath which meant when white people were injured or ill, they overlooked race, color or ethnicity and delivered. However, they were men 'of God' and lived by the Bible which Robert often struggled with. A lover of the outdoors, he spends most of his time fishing, hiking and enjoying Nature.
The Plata mountain area is home to the Plata Indian reservation and its white residents are primarily racist. When Hawks learns of the murder of FBI agents on the reservation, he becomes a target having been seen with an Indian female who they suspected was the culprit. Rob encounters an FBI agent at the local bar who's inebriated and then some. Unable to drive, he takes her to his cabin where she passes out. The following morning, he's treated as if he was involved in the murders. The plot incorporates his former dysfunctional girlfriend Karen, her father, Indians and countless others.
I found Everett's frequent use of statements in italics related to BIA legislation, hydrology and other elements, disruptive and disjointed though I do understand the relevance. Of all his books, this is the most racially driven. Similar to "James" he uses the narrative to make a statement about race in America which while important, isn't my personal 'cup of tea':) Writing is art and individual tastes vary.
When I reflect on "Assumption", "The Trees" or "I am Not Sidney Poitier" this pales in comparison. Regardless if you enjoy his narratives, it may be worthy of adding to your list.
November 20, 2025
Water is central in this complex and circuitous, suspenseful and prescient fictional crime story -- recently reprinted, yet new to me. Reckoning with institutional, generational, and environmental racism and asking readers to think about crimes committed by government officials. Geologist Robert Hawks attemps to be an ally with local Native Americans in Colorado while he seeks refuge and solitude from a needy girlfriend in absolute denial for Robert’s personal boundaries. The fictional Plata Tribe is in a precarious fight for their water rights. The author provides contextual history with abstracted excerpts throughout including treaty agreements the U.S. made with different Native American tribes.
April 10, 2018
"You can't murder Indians," Dicky said.
"What?"
"Murder is a legal concept. You can kill an Indian, but you can't murder one. You've got to have a law against it before it's murder."
Robert Hawks is a hydrologist, taking a little time off to spend at his cabin north of Denver, Colorado, to fish and also to get away from a relationship he'd like to end but can't manage to do so. It's in an out-of-the-way location near an Indian reservation and one cold evening he gives a ride to a small Native American woman, an act that will involve him in a conflict generations old.
With Watershed, Percival Everett gives a masterclass on how to write a novel, from the carefully crafted plot and the slow revelation of the protagonist's personality and past, to the perfectly crafted sentences. Watershed opens with a bang; Hawks sits in a small cold church on the reservation, across from an FBI agent who is tied to a chair. Around him sit several other armed men while outside the church, a large number of law enforcement have gathered near the bodies of three other men.
From there, the story moves to how Hawks reached this point, from his past as the son and grandson of doctors active in the Civil Rights movement, to his life in Denver, involved with the wrong woman, to how he is gradually drawn into a conflict between members of an Indian tribe and the FBI. There's a lot going on in 200 pages, but it never feels hurried or anything less than deliberate.
"What?"
"Murder is a legal concept. You can kill an Indian, but you can't murder one. You've got to have a law against it before it's murder."
Robert Hawks is a hydrologist, taking a little time off to spend at his cabin north of Denver, Colorado, to fish and also to get away from a relationship he'd like to end but can't manage to do so. It's in an out-of-the-way location near an Indian reservation and one cold evening he gives a ride to a small Native American woman, an act that will involve him in a conflict generations old.
With Watershed, Percival Everett gives a masterclass on how to write a novel, from the carefully crafted plot and the slow revelation of the protagonist's personality and past, to the perfectly crafted sentences. Watershed opens with a bang; Hawks sits in a small cold church on the reservation, across from an FBI agent who is tied to a chair. Around him sit several other armed men while outside the church, a large number of law enforcement have gathered near the bodies of three other men.
From there, the story moves to how Hawks reached this point, from his past as the son and grandson of doctors active in the Civil Rights movement, to his life in Denver, involved with the wrong woman, to how he is gradually drawn into a conflict between members of an Indian tribe and the FBI. There's a lot going on in 200 pages, but it never feels hurried or anything less than deliberate.
July 1, 2024
Once he hit stride, it seems that Everett has never paused his investigations into inequity and the force agents that compel action on the part of the engaged human being. This is no exception. Watershed reifies a new intersection between the Native American and the Buffalo Soldier, thereby offering a possible causeway for both to stick it to the man. To which: Shit, hey, solidarity.
February 25, 2020
mediocre writing, tries to juggle three loosely related timelines, offensive portrayal of female characters...
but when robert said "I don't love you and I never did; peace out, I'm going fishing", I felt that.
but when robert said "I don't love you and I never did; peace out, I'm going fishing", I felt that.
February 2, 2023
An enjoyable if perplexing novel about a dispute for water rights between Native Americans and white people in the American West. The dust jacket copy wants to sell the book as a murder mystery, but there's mighty little time spent on it. Most of that action happens off page; the book cares more about a hydrologist named Robert Hawks, his boyhood, and his current problems disentangling himself from his troubled girlfriend.
The relatively complex mix of current events, Robert's memories of his father and grandfather, and his memories of how he got involved with his girlfriend and her family make for an interesting novel as the reader and Robert work through his life choices together in real time.
However, the author uses — overuses? — a literary device in Watershed that returns in Telephone, and I can't say I'm a big fan. Or, at the least, what am I missing? I'm not sure what it adds to the novel or the reading experience. In one of his earlier novels, Zulus, he opened each chapter with a paragraph riffing off the alphabet with a series of non sequiturs. (For example: E is for Earwicker, the eternal scapegoat, listening to insulting soo-wees through a keyhold. E is for Eros, the first four letters of "erosive." Ecco signum .... and it goes on for 30-40 words). I wasn't sure what that added to Zulus, and I'm not sure what he's attempting in Watershed with the addition of excerpts from Native American-U.S. treaties, technical hydrologic data reports, and other information. Certainly, the treaty language is outrageous and infuriating in the light of history, and this novel's plot centers on a treaty dispute, so that at least is relevant. I don't know, however, what I'm supposed to take away from this: "A partially ordered set A is said to be well ordered if and only if every nonempty subset X of A has a greatest lower bound in X."
A number of the breakouts are the hydrologic data, technical descriptions of the Plata Mountain's rivers and watershed, which Percival Everett warns in the Acknowledgements before the book starts are all fictitious. Knowing that going in, I wondered why it was included at all as it never impacted the characters or the plot.
The relatively complex mix of current events, Robert's memories of his father and grandfather, and his memories of how he got involved with his girlfriend and her family make for an interesting novel as the reader and Robert work through his life choices together in real time.
However, the author uses — overuses? — a literary device in Watershed that returns in Telephone, and I can't say I'm a big fan. Or, at the least, what am I missing? I'm not sure what it adds to the novel or the reading experience. In one of his earlier novels, Zulus, he opened each chapter with a paragraph riffing off the alphabet with a series of non sequiturs. (For example: E is for Earwicker, the eternal scapegoat, listening to insulting soo-wees through a keyhold. E is for Eros, the first four letters of "erosive." Ecco signum .... and it goes on for 30-40 words). I wasn't sure what that added to Zulus, and I'm not sure what he's attempting in Watershed with the addition of excerpts from Native American-U.S. treaties, technical hydrologic data reports, and other information. Certainly, the treaty language is outrageous and infuriating in the light of history, and this novel's plot centers on a treaty dispute, so that at least is relevant. I don't know, however, what I'm supposed to take away from this: "A partially ordered set A is said to be well ordered if and only if every nonempty subset X of A has a greatest lower bound in X."
A number of the breakouts are the hydrologic data, technical descriptions of the Plata Mountain's rivers and watershed, which Percival Everett warns in the Acknowledgements before the book starts are all fictitious. Knowing that going in, I wondered why it was included at all as it never impacted the characters or the plot.
July 27, 2023
Robert Hawks is a hydrologist who has started living in his mountain cabin somewhere out of Denver to get away from his girlfriend, who he has finally decided to leave because he has never actually liked her. His fairly dysfunctional life is completely put into a spin when he meets a very short woman named Louise Yellow Calf who asks for a ride to somewhere near the lake he lives by. She then shows up at his cabin later, near freezing from the snow. The next day he gave her a ride back to a junction where she asked to be left off. This encounter led to Hawks becoming involved in a murder mystery and a water rights fight between the reservation and government. There are a couple of additional story lines running through the book including going back to his early years with stories about his father and grandfather, who were both physicians, and their involvement in civil rights and stories about his girlfriend and her obsessive behavior toward him and refusing to let him leave her. It's a very engrossing story filled with mystery and intrigue but the ending was a little disappointing and seemed to leave much of it unexplained.
January 14, 2024
The weakest thing I’ve read from Everett so far, but still worth reading. The tone is a bit uneven and I wasn’t sure if certain moments were meant to be funny; there’s also some clunky and unnecessary dialogue, and overall it isn’t as sharp as his other stuff. The highlight is the flashback sections about the protagonist’s experiences with his grandfather and his growing distrust of the police - I found myself more interested in those parts than the present-day story.
August 19, 2024
Quick, headlong read. I question a lot of the choices Everett makes—the mix of treaties and other quotes as interrupters don’t always help anything, and the whole Karen subplot seems contrived compared to the stories of Robert’s family and the Plata Nation. But this is a harrowingly real-feeling and ultimately hopeful look at how American history and systemic oppression can be disrupted by real, flawed, thinking people.
October 25, 2024
Video review to follow
July 17, 2025
"...that was the scariest part of all, that in spite of knowledge of past transgressions, I still resisted belief in a new one, somehow believing that my country was somehow me..."
My first Percival Everett. Loved it.
My first Percival Everett. Loved it.
September 15, 2025
“You can't murder Indians," Dicky said.
"What?"
"Murder is a legal concept. You can kill an Indian, but you can't murder one. You've got to have a law against it before it's murder."
Amazed at how this book is only 200 pages long yet is able to tell such a story without ever feeling rushed. The twist of environmental racism is so good, especially when you learn what the science excerpts in the beginning are for!!
Excellent use of mixing narrative, memories, TREATY LANGUAGE, and geology & biology. Crying at his character growth?? Amazing story about Black and Indigenous history and environmental & water law. Perceval Everett I love you
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March 22, 2018About a black hydrologist who becomes embroiled in a revolutionary Indian movement. This makes the book sound more genre-y than it is really, most of the time is spent with the protagonist reconsidering his familial and romantic history, and, implicitly, how they affect his decision to buck the authorities for people whom he has no direct loyalty. I liked it…OK? The depiction of the protagonist’s destructive relationship with a crazy woman is extremely well drawn, and Everett is a thoughtful and insightful cultural critic, but the various narrative strands came together a little too…not neatly, exactly…bluntly, I guess to mix a couple of metaphors. Library, but I don’t know I’d have a burning need to hold on to this.
February 13, 2025
~4.5ish
My thoughts are scattered and incoherent cuz I’m sick but this was great. Everett bodies writing a political thriller. The back half of this book has him beautifully weave four distinct plot lines that are only connected by the main character existing in all of them. The choice to weave them in few paragraph chunks at a time makes this book lightning quick to read, and dizzying to say the least.
I’d need to be in a better headspace to really discuss theme of the book but it’s an obviously great story about Black and Native American resistance and the tension and harmony found between the two groups. Everett drops in a bunch of legal passages about Native American/American relations which is really cool and keeps the head spinning.
He’s also simply one of the funnier writers I’ve read. I’m not sure if everything necessarily gels but you know, I was working with half capacity brain wise so this might be a five starrer.
My thoughts are scattered and incoherent cuz I’m sick but this was great. Everett bodies writing a political thriller. The back half of this book has him beautifully weave four distinct plot lines that are only connected by the main character existing in all of them. The choice to weave them in few paragraph chunks at a time makes this book lightning quick to read, and dizzying to say the least.
I’d need to be in a better headspace to really discuss theme of the book but it’s an obviously great story about Black and Native American resistance and the tension and harmony found between the two groups. Everett drops in a bunch of legal passages about Native American/American relations which is really cool and keeps the head spinning.
He’s also simply one of the funnier writers I’ve read. I’m not sure if everything necessarily gels but you know, I was working with half capacity brain wise so this might be a five starrer.
February 19, 2025
Robert Hawkes is a hydrologist, temporarily living in the mountains north of Denver - and sort of trying hard to avoid his crazy ex-girlfriend. When 2 FBI agents are found dead in the mountains near his cabin, he finds himself drawn into the investigation about these murders and about the water rights of a Native American tribe. It wouldn't be an Everett novel if there wasn't at least one scene where you laugh out loud. In this novel, it's the scene where he is being interrogated. I'm still laughing 24 hours later - the scene was perfection. There are parallels here between Hawkes' experience growing up as a Black teen during the Civil Rights movement and how he saw his family interact with both the police and the protests and the experiences the Native Americans have with the federal government. Not quite as strong a read for me as some of Everett's more recent work, but definitely worth picking up. Everett also does this interesting thing with his writing here where snippets from treaties , water research projects, etc are woven throughout the narrative.
October 19, 2025
A complex reflection on religion, Black & Indigenous solidarity, environmental justice, and the ways history shapes the present. Essentially the books premise is: “Here I was, a dormant hydrologist, trying to spend the autumn alone, trying to break up with my girlfriend, stuck in the middle of an FBI investigation of the murder of two of their agents, practically in my backyard.” What starts as a slow story about a guy who likes to fish turns into a real uncovering of family histories of resistance and the Black Panther Party intertwined with current alliances with Indigenous efforts to stop the U.S. government’s harmful projects. I was bewildered and intrigued by the returning characters of Karen and her father. I knew they served a purpose but I could not wrap my head around them. I thought that relationship between Robert and his grandfather was the standout in this book and also appreciated the way they addressed religion. I wanted more from it though and was left feeling the book was not truly complete. Having read Percival Everett in the past I know this isn’t on par with the level of literary genius he can achieve.
April 24, 2023
This was so very, very good. Breathtakingly so. A murder mystery combined with some good old U.S. government conspiracy and perhaps ecological terrorism thrown in. A Black hydrologist--our main character Robert Hawks--working on and around Native American lands, and some highly suspish FBI and police. There are also intertwined stories of our main character's fairly recent love life, and not so recent childhood and family; basically giving us background to understand who he is now from who he was then.
I was so engaged, I just whipped through this.
Also this particular edition had a great Sherman Alexie preface, focusing largely on WHY hasn't EVERYONE been reading Percival Everett all along? (HINT: Racism.)
My 11th Everett read (and 10 of them were at a minimum "good and engaging" if not even better than that--I'd say four of the 10 are AMAZEBALLOONS).
I was so engaged, I just whipped through this.
Also this particular edition had a great Sherman Alexie preface, focusing largely on WHY hasn't EVERYONE been reading Percival Everett all along? (HINT: Racism.)
My 11th Everett read (and 10 of them were at a minimum "good and engaging" if not even better than that--I'd say four of the 10 are AMAZEBALLOONS).
September 7, 2025
Robert has gone to his cabin for some peace and quiet, mostly from his ex-girlfriend Karen, but a chance encounter with Louise, a member of the local Native American reservation, gets the better of his curiosity and he’s soon involved in something he can’t easily back out of.
Watershed opens in the middle of the action, before going back to explain how we got there, and Robert’s narration, which jumps between periods of his life, is interspersed with legal and scientific extracts, drawing links between Native American and Black civil rights movements. This is a book which demands, and rewards, your concentration, but it is also a highly readable book, filled with Everett’s signature humour. I think it might be my favourite of his books so far.
Watershed opens in the middle of the action, before going back to explain how we got there, and Robert’s narration, which jumps between periods of his life, is interspersed with legal and scientific extracts, drawing links between Native American and Black civil rights movements. This is a book which demands, and rewards, your concentration, but it is also a highly readable book, filled with Everett’s signature humour. I think it might be my favourite of his books so far.
November 26, 2023
One of Everett's best. Everett has an unique voice. Everything he has written that I have read is original in some way. I prefer his somewhat more traditional stories over his more experimental, less coherent, more esoteric writing, the work critics recommended for academics. Something humorous about recommending it for academics. I used to be one of them. Know what they mean.
September 30, 2025
Didn’t realize until being far into this that it was written in the 90s, pretty early in his career. Feels like an evolving version of what he eventually became really good at it, which put it at a slight disadvantage.
December 26, 2024
Wow! What an incredible writer.
I love this review of the book:
http://www.dosomedamage.com/2024/05/p...
I appreciate the minimalist approach to his writing. But I wish I had another 200 pages of his writing to read the rest of this lazy, Boxing Day afternoon!
I love this review of the book:
http://www.dosomedamage.com/2024/05/p...
I appreciate the minimalist approach to his writing. But I wish I had another 200 pages of his writing to read the rest of this lazy, Boxing Day afternoon!
April 10, 2025
This is my third Percival Everett novel, and each one explores similar themes with a consistent, distinctive style. He's like a philosopher revisiting the same question from fresh angles. I really enjoy seeing how he brings his authorial voice to different genres.
What began as a murder mystery unfolded into a potent critique of environmental racism, the enduring legacy of settler colonialism, and the illusion of neutrality. "Smart and layered" is how I keep describing his work. In Watershed, actual treaty excerpts and hydrological data aren’t just details, they’re brilliant narrative devices that deepen the novel’s themes and push readers to engage critically.
What began as a murder mystery unfolded into a potent critique of environmental racism, the enduring legacy of settler colonialism, and the illusion of neutrality. "Smart and layered" is how I keep describing his work. In Watershed, actual treaty excerpts and hydrological data aren’t just details, they’re brilliant narrative devices that deepen the novel’s themes and push readers to engage critically.
October 9, 2024
Mr. Everett has done it again.
November 27, 2021
I liked this book, a fun read, a noir with interesting characters, but not nearly as deep or compelling as Erasure.
August 27, 2023
The book begins with Robert Hawks and seven Indians in a church on the Plata Indian Reservation in the Colorado Mountains with a dead FBI agent. They are holding his partner as a hostage. They are surrounded by 250 armed FBI agents. The rest of the book explains how things got to that point.
This 1996 novel revisits many of Everett's favorite topics. The protagonist, Robert Hawks, is a well-educated black man from an accomplished but troubled Southern family. He is in the high mountains of Colorado in a town with almost no black people. He reluctantly gets involved in helping a local Indian tribe. Everett has revisited the story of a similar black man in a similar situation in several of his novels.
Two FBI agents are killed. An Indian woman he helped out may be involved. Hawks is a hydrologist who has been hired to survey the area. He gets in the middle of a battle between the FBi and the tribe. The story is grimmer and more somber than many of Everett's novels.
Hawkes has just broken up with Karen, a woman whose friends told him she was crazy. They were right. Some of the couple stuff is funny but, in the end, it is a sad story. Hawkes' involvement with her father is even sadder.
Everett does a huge amount in a small space. In 200 pages he captures all of the Hawke's conflicts and struggles. He shows life in upcountry America. He gives us complicated and struggling American Indians. He uses excerpts from treaties and other documents to explain the outrage of American Indian policy. And he writes an exciting thriller.
August 1, 2015
The set-up of this novel is very interesting, and I agree with Alexie's Introduction that Everett pushes us to ask difficult and important questions. The method of interspersing hydrology reports for the fictional reservation along with treaty language and the plot's several strands is all very interesting, but I felt like it finally didn't build to much--or that Everett built to too much, leaving the focus too distributed to be really impactful. The whole subplot with Karen struck me as largely unnecessary because at best it only adds a little dimension to Robert's character--she herself has no dimension. And nor, for that matter, do most of the characters. It might simply be Everett's very sparing prose style, which suggests interiority by offering interesting exteriors rather than digging into the characters' minds itself. Either way, the novel struck me as the honey for swallowing a rhetorical pill rather than a dessert in its own right, which was too bad for a novel that had every appearance of being complex and revelatory. This is finally a book with academic interest that might best be taught in certain settings and read in conversation with other things (like critical race studies and ecocritical scholarship).
Want to read
October 31, 2019A very crafty weaving together of narrative threads AND civil rights histories. This is my first Everett work, and I loved a lot of his darkly humorous dialogue and the pacing of this novel--right at 200 pages, it still manages to cover a good bit of ground. I'm not in love with his depiction of women, particularly of Karen, whose "craziness" feels over the top and mean-spirited not just on the protagonist's part. I thought, too, that water/land rights would factor more directly into the plot and, while they show up in snippets, this novel feels, to me, to really be about Robert Hawks' coming to terms with himself and being "alive," becoming like the man he believed his grandfather to be, ie an activist, a conspirator, an independent man. Makes a compelling case that the histories of black and indigenous civil rights are intertwined in the US and that both causes can work together against oppression and human rights violations by those in power.
June 28, 2012
Might be my favorite Everett. Has a lot of his watermarks, fly fishing (specifically the tying of flies), mountain living, New Mexico (albeit briefly) aloof success (the grandfather specifically) Colonel Custer, & why not, all of those things are fine... Though Everett does not care for Old Custer. The relationship between the native Americans and Robert grows to be similar to that of the tracker from "Gods country" and the native Americans but it doesn't start that way. Distinctly Everett but I feel he really hits everything he aims for in this one.
February 21, 2025
What do you mean that is the ending???!? I need closure, I completely understand the narrative is ongoing in real time situation but as someone looking in from the sidelines I am hoping for a conclusion of victory. Yes there is evidence of some kind of victory, i still want to know the freedom fighters got out safely. It is frustrating so say the least but i guess this is the message the author is getting across woven in family , community, “lovers” fight for something in resemblance to belonging, duty , responsibility and pride in one’s identity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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