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Silver Water
Violet's account of her sister, Rose, who is mentally ill. A story about the struggles of healthcare in America.
11 pages, Short Story
Published January 1, 1991
1 person is currently reading
395 people want to read
About the author
Amy Bloom
66 books1,271 followersAmy Bloom is the New York Times bestselling author of White Houses; Come to Me, a National Book Award finalist; A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist; Love Invents Us; Normal; Away; Where the God of Love Hangs Out; and Lucky Us. Her stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Prize Short Stories, The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, and many other anthologies. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, O: The Oprah Magazine, Slate, Tin House, and Salon, among other publications, and has won a National Magazine Award.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 3, 2023
this was a required read in my creative writing class!
Wow. I mean, wow. Silver Water truly struck a chord in me. I have yet to cry over a book (mind you, I’ve read some pretty devastating books), but this story probably had me the closest to tears than any other literary work I have ever read. This is one of those stories you read and after finishing it, you just stare at a wall for a while. Silver Water is hauntingly beautiful, with a very melancholic mood. Its nostalgic atmosphere takes readers back to the memories with Violet and her sister Rose. I think it portrayed how poorly the American healthcare system handles mental health crises, which is still a relatively prevalent issue presently. What I found to be an intriguing literary choice was that Amy Bloom chose to utilize Violet’s perspective rather than Rose’s, the character experiencing the psychosis firsthand. It shines a light on what it feels like to experience a loved one grappling with a mental illness, which definitely needed to be brought to the table. Another concept I think Bloom portrayed exceptionally well is with therapists; how the way a family chooses to cope may come off as abnormal or unhealthy (which it very much could be) to someone on the outside looking in.
The author’s use of imagery was truly effective in the sense that it put you directly in the story with the characters very clearly, with a good image of what the scenes may look like in your head. Some examples of this are “...amidst a sea of beige, umber, cinnamon, and espresso faces…” and “...the stars were invisible and the sun was warming the air…”.
An abundance of figurative language was an additional concept present in Silver Water. It took readers beyond the literal aspects of the story in such a melancholic nature. This is shown in the following quotes: “My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body” and “...laid out their gold and silver voices and wove them together in strands as fine as silk, as strong as steel”.
Wow. I mean, wow. Silver Water truly struck a chord in me. I have yet to cry over a book (mind you, I’ve read some pretty devastating books), but this story probably had me the closest to tears than any other literary work I have ever read. This is one of those stories you read and after finishing it, you just stare at a wall for a while. Silver Water is hauntingly beautiful, with a very melancholic mood. Its nostalgic atmosphere takes readers back to the memories with Violet and her sister Rose. I think it portrayed how poorly the American healthcare system handles mental health crises, which is still a relatively prevalent issue presently. What I found to be an intriguing literary choice was that Amy Bloom chose to utilize Violet’s perspective rather than Rose’s, the character experiencing the psychosis firsthand. It shines a light on what it feels like to experience a loved one grappling with a mental illness, which definitely needed to be brought to the table. Another concept I think Bloom portrayed exceptionally well is with therapists; how the way a family chooses to cope may come off as abnormal or unhealthy (which it very much could be) to someone on the outside looking in.
The author’s use of imagery was truly effective in the sense that it put you directly in the story with the characters very clearly, with a good image of what the scenes may look like in your head. Some examples of this are “...amidst a sea of beige, umber, cinnamon, and espresso faces…” and “...the stars were invisible and the sun was warming the air…”.
An abundance of figurative language was an additional concept present in Silver Water. It took readers beyond the literal aspects of the story in such a melancholic nature. This is shown in the following quotes: “My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body” and “...laid out their gold and silver voices and wove them together in strands as fine as silk, as strong as steel”.
April 12, 2020
This is one of the best short stories that I have ever read. The narrator is Violet, the younger sister of Rose who suffers from mental illness. The story depicts how the illness of one member of a family becomes a "family illness". As a clinical psychologist I have experience with individuals who are unable to function in what we call "normal" society. I have also met both good and bad therapists. The family is helped by a great one. The father, a psychiatrist, is humanized by this man. I was disappointed that David seemed distanced from his daughter initially and did not recognize her descent into illness. I liked the way that Violet's illness was not described as an all or nothing condition. She always had moments when she tried to be the loving person that was blocked by the illness - she sang beautifully at times and cracked great jokes. I will not give away the ending, but the story was so sad that I found myself wishing that there could be a permanent resolution for the family. Highly recommend. Kristi & Abby Tabby
September 16, 2021
**read for my short essay class**
This will forever live in my heart
This will forever live in my heart
August 4, 2017
this was just...really weird?? i'm not sure how i feel about it.
January 12, 2022
I loved the honesty of this story and am now in hot pursuit of more of Amy Bloom’s writing. The story touched me personally, as I came from a home shattered by mental illness. Not a much revered and beloved sister, but a mother who is supposed to be both a young girl’s guiding light and her adversary into adulthood. Bloom shows her professional expertise, but more than that she puts into finely chosen words, compassionate words, the irreparable destruction a family endures when an intimate member suffered from mental illness. The loss of hope for the family members and the inability of the medical profession and pharmaceutical industry to answer the needs of the patient is heartbreaking. The insurance issues just add to the hopelessness of an impossible situation. I look forward to more of Bloom’s exceptional writing
December 14, 2024
melancholic and solemn, silver water portrays the struggles of raising a child with schizophrenia in a beautifully wistful manner.
by taking you through the highs and lows of the american health care system, silver waters sheds immense light on the crisis in which millions of people get denied health care due to unnecessary policies and corporate greed.
through the eyes of violet (mc), who wants nothing but her sister to be remembered, she experiences the effects of being a glass child and having the responsibility to take care of herself and her family.
shown in a beautiful sombre shade, silver waters is a beautiful tale of grief, illness and love, sprinkled with a few lines of resolve.
by taking you through the highs and lows of the american health care system, silver waters sheds immense light on the crisis in which millions of people get denied health care due to unnecessary policies and corporate greed.
through the eyes of violet (mc), who wants nothing but her sister to be remembered, she experiences the effects of being a glass child and having the responsibility to take care of herself and her family.
shown in a beautiful sombre shade, silver waters is a beautiful tale of grief, illness and love, sprinkled with a few lines of resolve.
September 18, 2020
A beautifully told story about family love and told from the POV of the sister of a mentally ill young woman.
It was the mother character, Galen, who made me cry at the end.
It was the mother character, Galen, who made me cry at the end.
April 2, 2021
Brilliantly written and insightful!
March 18, 2022
Read for a minor.
It's really well written and one of the few reading materials I actually enjoyed reading.
It's really well written and one of the few reading materials I actually enjoyed reading.
March 30, 2022
had to read it for my english short story assignment, this was my favourite from all of them :)
March 25, 2023
Listened to this short story on the Selected Shorts podcast ; such a poignant story , the family relationship is so good but if only love can fix everything.
June 29, 2023
devastating, and powerful
September 5, 2024
great portrayal of family and mental health
February 12, 2025
phenomenal short story. One of my personal favorites.
October 13, 2025
Gut wrenching.
November 13, 2025
read this
February 4, 2017
I mean, I know it was technically good. Great storytelling, characterization, structure, imagery...etc. It just didn't really speak to me emotionally. Some people get fired up about this one but for me it wasn't really something that stuck to my ribs.
November 16, 2016
It was really beautiful but sad. I loved the descriptions of Rose.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews