Watermarks: Life, Death and Swimming

by Lenka Janiurek

Lenka Janiurek’s story really begins after the death of her mother when she was a small child, and speaks of the men who came to define her life; she is the daughter of a Polish immigrant father, the sister of five brothers, the wife of one husband, the lover of several men, and the mother of two more. Her memoir speaks of identity and trying to find your place in a country that isn’t your own, within a family that doesn’t feel like your own.

This remarkable book traces Lenka’s journey from the UK to Eastern Europe, from the 1960s to the present day. However, across the years, she remains haunted by the rage, addiction and despair of the men she is closest to. Alongside these challenges, she develops a powerful connection with the natural world, particularly water, which provides her with strength and joy.

Genres: Nature

352 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2020

Reviews

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an autobiographical story, a story from womb, to childhood, teenage and adult years. Filled with experiences that change her life and outlook on it.Tribulations and trials, but most importantly it's about the connection she makes with nature -with water to be more specific.

There are studies on the epigenetics of trauma, whether trauma can be passed down like a legacy from generation to generation. This story made me wonder about the silent impact it had on Lenka, and then in turn whether her own personal trauma - the loss of her mother - is also a factor that may impact her descendants.

Although the story is written in first person, which in itself always gives the reader a closer emotional connection and experience with an autobiographical account, the narrator remains at a distance. The overall style and voice often seems cold, displaced and without any emotional connection.

Then again what is the easiest way to cope with the most traumatic things in our lives. The moments that drive us to our lowest points, and yet somehow we have to move beyond those moments.

The most beautiful and intriguing aspect of this read was the emotional and almost spiritual link Lenka makes to the water throughout. From the childhood memories of family holidays on the beach filled with joy, to swimming in storms, the source of the light from the pond, relaxation and strength by swimming during pregnancy and at the end becoming the giver instead of the taker. Becoming the person who strives to protect the one constant in her life that has always given her peace without asking anything in return.
It's an introspective and reflective read.
*I received a courtesy copy*

[Ellie Hawkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth, the old saying goes, is stranger than fiction, and one of the main things that struck me about Lenka Janiurek’s compelling memoir is what an utterly unique journey she has had. If this were a novel, you might begin to think that no protagonist could undergo so many transformative experiences, both painful and healing, but the depth of emotion and honesty that Janiurek reveals in this remarkable story could only come through lived experience. The other thing that is clear from the outset of the book is her talent with words. Her prose style is lean and supple, and wonderfully descriptive, and I was drawn in right from the opening passages. The use of the present tense creates a sense not so much of remembering but of reliving, and it is immensely powerful. I was captivated by her story, following Lenka through her life as she negotiates the ebbs and flows of her curious and difficult path, immersed in her beautiful words.

There are many different elements to Lenka’s story, and I don’t want to divulge too much information in this review, as one of the joys of reading a memoir by someone whose life story is not common knowledge is discovering its twists and turns for yourself. Suffice it to say that plenty happens in this book: childhood loss, early success, unhappy relationships, travel, motherhood, spiritual and artistic exploration – the list goes on. I doubt Janiurek ever had the problem that many of us would encounter on considering whether to write our memoirs: “But what on earth would I write about?”

Losing her mother at such a young age is obviously a pivotal moment for Lenka, but what follows is far from a universal story of grief. The idiosyncracies of her scattered upbringing are brought to life through the disorientating but effective jumps in time and location that occur in the spaces between the chapters. This technique creates the sense of rootlessness, of contradictions, and a kind of desperate searching that seems to me to be at the heart of her book. She veers between places and situations in a way that reminded me of theatrical scene changes: when the lights come up on the stage of each new chapter, we are often in entirely new surroundings. From lavish country mansions to basic lodgings, from luxury to only the necessities, Lenka’s story is one of contrasts. The one constant is swimming: water is her element, it is where she feels most at home, and her descriptions of wild swimming in beautiful locations are stunning.

While the narrative drifts in an almost dream-like way from location to location, it is rooted by Janiurek’s sharp, clear-eyed prose. Her language is spare and piercing; the nouns anchor her descriptions in reality: stones, water, buildings, places. As a reader, I felt as if I was seeing through her eyes, which is surely the sign of an incredibly effective memoir. There is a raw honesty here that is brave and deeply moving, but it is tempered by what I came to see as a really strong sense of respect, both for herself and for others: whether she is grappling with her spiritual side (which she approaches with a dose of cynicism, even as she joins a guru in India and free-thinking camps of hippie artists) or examining her fraught relationships with troubled men, it is her story she is telling, not that of her family members or her destructive partners. This is emphasised by the fact that the men in her life are referred to euphemistically, as ‘the tall man’ and so on; the story is not about them, it is about her, and she never attempts to infer the thoughts or feelings of others. There is nothing intrusive about this memoir in terms of those surrounding her – even the men who might seem to deserve harsher treatment in the narrative are not given that power over her story, and this left me full of admiration in ways that I am still thinking about.

Watermarks is an appropriately immersive experience; a dive into a bright, original consciousness whose lived experiences are uniquely and beautifully described. It was a pleasure to see the world through Lenka’s eyes, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in exploring different ways of being. It is a thoughtful, honest, at times almost meditative book, and it had a profound impact on me as a reader. I am grateful that she chose to share her incredible story.

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watermarks, life, death and swimming is an autobiographical story by Lenka Janiurek. I do not usually read autobiographies but for once thought, "let'a go for it!".A story that starts right from being a baby through to adulthood. Everything that affected her in anyway is part if this book, the good, the bad and even the ugly, we experience this all through Lenka's eyes. We also see the connection that she has with water. Throughout her life she has good, even joyful memories that all connect to water. The family holidays on the beach, swimming during storms. Finding relaxation and strength when pregnant, it seems a spiritual connection.
The story is told by Lenka but I experienced the story as being told in a distant way, but this is the best way to keep yourself safe from harm and I can only assume this is how she has dealt with the telling of her story.
Lenka's story left me reflecting how resilient we are as human beings. How we may go through trauma in our lives but most of us find a way of dealing with it, however that may be. Thank you to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours for allowing me the honour of learning about Lenka on the Watermarks Blog Tour.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lenka J has led quite a life full of character-building experiences that was exciting to read. Mother to several kids and active in political protests, camping, swimming, working on her allotment, and she writes. She's had lots to overcome trying to understand some of her Polish father's (concentration camp survivor) ways and her mother's early death. She even travels to India a few times following her guru with a couple of kids in tow. Well worth reading.
4.5

Cambridgeshire library

[Katie Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning memoir, beautifully written, arresting and moving. I love the structure, the sense of never fully knowing or understanding as she perhaps never fully knows or understands, as perhaps none of us ever do. Water weaves its way through the book, holding the whole thing together. This was a book I needed, right when I needed it.

[The P.Turners]

Please see blog for [K]'s review:

https://thepturnersbookblog.wordpress...

[Kate Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and beautifully written.

[Jo Larkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this unusual memoir and the slightly distant, often dreamlike and poetic prose in which it is written. I particularly liked the theme of the healing, restful and restorative power of water to which Lenka turns and returns throughout her complex, often difficult life journey.