What do you think?
Rate this book
Still Water
The new ‘Heavenly Creatures’
A sinister literary thriller that will coarse through your veins. A friendship that will push you to the edge.
‘I realise, now, of course, that Angela was a textbook narcissist. She knew I worshipped her. Vampiric, she fed off the attention, the adoration; it sustained her. I thought I would die without her.’
Young Hannah only knows the isolation of Shetland, only knows how to watch her mother take her pills and to keep out of her way. So when they move to Devon and Hannah starts a new life, she will meet someone who will change her life.
Angela is rich, beautiful and Hannah is transfixed. Under her spell and locked in this obsessional friendship, Hannah will be tested, and be forced to ask, is she a monster like her mother?
A sinister literary thriller that will coarse through your veins. A friendship that will push you to the edge.
‘I realise, now, of course, that Angela was a textbook narcissist. She knew I worshipped her. Vampiric, she fed off the attention, the adoration; it sustained her. I thought I would die without her.’
Young Hannah only knows the isolation of Shetland, only knows how to watch her mother take her pills and to keep out of her way. So when they move to Devon and Hannah starts a new life, she will meet someone who will change her life.
Angela is rich, beautiful and Hannah is transfixed. Under her spell and locked in this obsessional friendship, Hannah will be tested, and be forced to ask, is she a monster like her mother?
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2021
7 people are currently reading
673 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
May 23, 2022
The initial version of this debut novel from Rebecca Pert - who also lectures in creative writing - won the Cheltenham Literary Festival First Novel Award. It's essentially a mystery which centres on the circumstances behind the severed relationship between a mother and a daughter and their shared legacy of unresolved trauma. The main character Jane’s returned to her childhood home in Shetland where she works in a dead-end job in a fish-processing factory. She lives in a caravan and has few friends. Then, not long after she begins dating local man Mike, the past she’d hoped was buried comes back to haunt her. The police have identified a body as her mother, someone who’s been missing for several years. She disappeared after an incident which led to a rupture between her and Jane, and from which Jane has never fully recovered. Pert's novel explores issues around pregnancy, post-partum depression and the challenges of motherhood. It’s a richly descriptive piece, the portrayal of the local landscapes are particularly evocative and convincing but as a novel it just didn’t work for me, I found the approach a little too conventional and the treatment of the material sometimes heavy-handed. Having said that it's received a fair number of other, more positive reviews and I think fans of this kind of literary, psychological crime may well enjoy this far more than I did.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher The Borough Press
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher The Borough Press
November 13, 2021
Mild spoilers
The blurb on here seems to be mixed up with that of another book. The Amazon blurb is correct: "When Jane Douglas returns to the Shetland Islands, she thinks she has escaped the dark shadows of her childhood. She carves out a simple life on the bleak, windswept island, working at the salmon fishery and spending quiet evenings at home. And for the first time in her life, she’s happy.
Then the body of Jane’s long-missing mother is found in a flooded quarry. Her mother disappeared when Jane was a teenager, following the death of Jane’s baby brother. Jane has spent her life running from her past, living in fear that she has inherited her mother’s demons. Now, Jane must face what actually happened on that fateful, tragic day twenty years ago…"
For me, this is a commute read: enough of a page-turner to distract but ultimately straightforward and too neat and easily resolved to be anything more provocative or exciting. The story uses familiar tropes: the daughter reading her mother's diaries so that we effectively get a dual time narrative, one set in the 1970s, one in the 2000s; the 'that day' structure so often utilised in crime/psychological thrillers where artificial suspense is created by withholding what happened 'that day' from the reader though the main character remembers it acutely.
With lots of dramatic happenings this teeters on the edge of melodrama (adulterous love triangle, pregnancy, suicide, psychosis, murder, feeling cursed) and there are lots of emotional buttons being pressed especially around maternity and pregnancy. The writing is plain and neutral, there's nothing individual or distinctive to give it personality. And while there is significant trauma experienced by Jane, it seems to get resolved instantly at the end which simplified the psychology of the character who sort of snaps out of an emotional state which has haunted her into her thirties - there's a sort of miraculous, with one bound she was free feel about it. The stunning cover is fitting for the story being told, but the text itself is more mundane and familiar that I'd hoped. A bit soap opera for me, but I'm sure plenty of readers will love this.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
The blurb on here seems to be mixed up with that of another book. The Amazon blurb is correct: "When Jane Douglas returns to the Shetland Islands, she thinks she has escaped the dark shadows of her childhood. She carves out a simple life on the bleak, windswept island, working at the salmon fishery and spending quiet evenings at home. And for the first time in her life, she’s happy.
Then the body of Jane’s long-missing mother is found in a flooded quarry. Her mother disappeared when Jane was a teenager, following the death of Jane’s baby brother. Jane has spent her life running from her past, living in fear that she has inherited her mother’s demons. Now, Jane must face what actually happened on that fateful, tragic day twenty years ago…"
For me, this is a commute read: enough of a page-turner to distract but ultimately straightforward and too neat and easily resolved to be anything more provocative or exciting. The story uses familiar tropes: the daughter reading her mother's diaries so that we effectively get a dual time narrative, one set in the 1970s, one in the 2000s; the 'that day' structure so often utilised in crime/psychological thrillers where artificial suspense is created by withholding what happened 'that day' from the reader though the main character remembers it acutely.
With lots of dramatic happenings this teeters on the edge of melodrama (adulterous love triangle, pregnancy, suicide, psychosis, murder, feeling cursed) and there are lots of emotional buttons being pressed especially around maternity and pregnancy. The writing is plain and neutral, there's nothing individual or distinctive to give it personality. And while there is significant trauma experienced by Jane, it seems to get resolved instantly at the end which simplified the psychology of the character who sort of snaps out of an emotional state which has haunted her into her thirties - there's a sort of miraculous, with one bound she was free feel about it. The stunning cover is fitting for the story being told, but the text itself is more mundane and familiar that I'd hoped. A bit soap opera for me, but I'm sure plenty of readers will love this.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
July 1, 2022
I honestly don't know where to start on this review! This debut novel from Rebecca Pert has shot into my list of all time favourite books, my copy will take pride of place on my shelf and the story has haunted me ever since I turned the final page.
It's beautiful and evocative, lyrical and gentle. Yet it is at times brutal and harsh, heartbreaking and unflinching. It is everything that I could wish for in a novel and the fact that this is the author's debut only makes it so much more special.
Jane has retuned to live on Unst, an island in the Shetlands. She lives in a caravan that feels like a tin box, she spends her days at the local fish factory and her evenings with her boyfriend Mick. She keeps a close eye on her elderly neighbour Maggie and every single day, she is haunted by memories of her mother, and the appalling tragedy that happened when she was just a child.
Jane's caravan is sited near to an old croft. Derelict, unloved, untouched for years. This is the croft in which Jane spent her younger years, with her father, mother and younger brother. The croft is a beacon of unhappiness for Jane. Full of memories of the happiest days in her life, followed by the darkest hours that have shaped her as an adult.
Jane has received news that a prosthetic arm has been found, floating in a quarry pit in Devon. Her mother had a prosthetic arm, and she disappeared many years ago. The plan is to drain the quarry, to look for the body of Sylvia and Jane finds is very difficult to deal with her feelings.
Rebecca Pert's writing is beautiful, her depiction of Unst and the local community is spellbinding, with the weather and the countryside becoming characters in themselves. The story is cleverly told using a dual timeline, as Jane discovers her mother's diaries and entries from these are woven throughout the narrative, enabling both Jane, and the reader to gain such insight into Sylvia's life on Unst.
There are many issues dealt with within this story, not least, the total paralysis that can be caused by motherhood, and the impact of this on children and partners. Sylvia's words are haunting as she describes her steady decline into a world numbed by medication and her feelings of paranoia, self loathing and inner terror as the world turns darker and darker.
Jane's feelings towards her mother and what she did are also quite terrifying. Her dismay as she finds herself in a situation that she hadn't planned for is heartbreaking and the long-term effects of her grief and feeling of abandonment and loss are palpable.
Still Water is breath taking in its style and structure. For me, there wasn't a word out of place. It is compelling, and produces a sense of dread that increases as the story progresses.
An amazing book, one that will stay with me for a long time to come. I am looking forward to reading more from this extremely talented author. Bravo Rebecca Pert.
It's beautiful and evocative, lyrical and gentle. Yet it is at times brutal and harsh, heartbreaking and unflinching. It is everything that I could wish for in a novel and the fact that this is the author's debut only makes it so much more special.
Jane has retuned to live on Unst, an island in the Shetlands. She lives in a caravan that feels like a tin box, she spends her days at the local fish factory and her evenings with her boyfriend Mick. She keeps a close eye on her elderly neighbour Maggie and every single day, she is haunted by memories of her mother, and the appalling tragedy that happened when she was just a child.
Jane's caravan is sited near to an old croft. Derelict, unloved, untouched for years. This is the croft in which Jane spent her younger years, with her father, mother and younger brother. The croft is a beacon of unhappiness for Jane. Full of memories of the happiest days in her life, followed by the darkest hours that have shaped her as an adult.
Jane has received news that a prosthetic arm has been found, floating in a quarry pit in Devon. Her mother had a prosthetic arm, and she disappeared many years ago. The plan is to drain the quarry, to look for the body of Sylvia and Jane finds is very difficult to deal with her feelings.
Rebecca Pert's writing is beautiful, her depiction of Unst and the local community is spellbinding, with the weather and the countryside becoming characters in themselves. The story is cleverly told using a dual timeline, as Jane discovers her mother's diaries and entries from these are woven throughout the narrative, enabling both Jane, and the reader to gain such insight into Sylvia's life on Unst.
There are many issues dealt with within this story, not least, the total paralysis that can be caused by motherhood, and the impact of this on children and partners. Sylvia's words are haunting as she describes her steady decline into a world numbed by medication and her feelings of paranoia, self loathing and inner terror as the world turns darker and darker.
Jane's feelings towards her mother and what she did are also quite terrifying. Her dismay as she finds herself in a situation that she hadn't planned for is heartbreaking and the long-term effects of her grief and feeling of abandonment and loss are palpable.
Still Water is breath taking in its style and structure. For me, there wasn't a word out of place. It is compelling, and produces a sense of dread that increases as the story progresses.
An amazing book, one that will stay with me for a long time to come. I am looking forward to reading more from this extremely talented author. Bravo Rebecca Pert.
June 16, 2022
Jane Douglas returns to the Shetland Islands, convinced she has left the darkness of her past. Her life is simple, mundane even. Just how she likes it.
Then a fragment of her past enters her present. The body of her long missing mother is thought to be in the flooded quarry. The news brings back suppressed memories and details of events that Jane has tried her best to forget.
What a wonderfully atmospheric and brooding novel this was. Right from the first page I knew I’d love it. The bleak magnificence of the Shetland Islands are captured perfectly, I shivered with cold, despite reading this in June. It’s a sorrowful read, there is a lot of sadness and misery within, but it’s compelling and very thought provoking. It covers the topic of postpartum psychosis, a subject I find fascinating. I’ve recently finished a book called Broadmoor Women which focused on the women sectioned in Broadmoor over one hundred years ago, many of whom were clearly suffering from the same affliction. It was interesting to see the parallels of these women born a century apart.
Definitely not a beach read, Still Water really does run deep. It’s powerful, harsh and thought provoking. It paints a vivid picture of village life on a remote island; the bleakness and beauty a dynamic juxtaposition. I was enchanted by this book, every page a delight. And I wiped away tear after tear by the end. Utterly glorious.
Then a fragment of her past enters her present. The body of her long missing mother is thought to be in the flooded quarry. The news brings back suppressed memories and details of events that Jane has tried her best to forget.
What a wonderfully atmospheric and brooding novel this was. Right from the first page I knew I’d love it. The bleak magnificence of the Shetland Islands are captured perfectly, I shivered with cold, despite reading this in June. It’s a sorrowful read, there is a lot of sadness and misery within, but it’s compelling and very thought provoking. It covers the topic of postpartum psychosis, a subject I find fascinating. I’ve recently finished a book called Broadmoor Women which focused on the women sectioned in Broadmoor over one hundred years ago, many of whom were clearly suffering from the same affliction. It was interesting to see the parallels of these women born a century apart.
Definitely not a beach read, Still Water really does run deep. It’s powerful, harsh and thought provoking. It paints a vivid picture of village life on a remote island; the bleakness and beauty a dynamic juxtaposition. I was enchanted by this book, every page a delight. And I wiped away tear after tear by the end. Utterly glorious.
February 5, 2022
"Like running to the highest room in the burning building, the flames will reach her eventually."
Trigger warning: depression, death of a child, abortion
Pert delivered a harrowing non-fiction where we see the protagonist handle generational trauma whilst seeing the effects of post-partum depression play out. It's so rare to read such a dark, consistent unravelling with a happy ending that feels organic, yet Pert writes in a way that has the reader rooting for nothing less.
The book offers a sympathetic look at a woman messed around and left to fester by society and the naturally bleak results that should be expected when medicine and society turn their back on you. Consequently, we meet our protagonist, a woman bruised by her childhood and again, left to the side but this time empowered to make a change and reverse her fortune. The book is dark, it's messy, but in a roundabout way, it's an empowering read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.
Trigger warning: depression, death of a child, abortion
Pert delivered a harrowing non-fiction where we see the protagonist handle generational trauma whilst seeing the effects of post-partum depression play out. It's so rare to read such a dark, consistent unravelling with a happy ending that feels organic, yet Pert writes in a way that has the reader rooting for nothing less.
The book offers a sympathetic look at a woman messed around and left to fester by society and the naturally bleak results that should be expected when medicine and society turn their back on you. Consequently, we meet our protagonist, a woman bruised by her childhood and again, left to the side but this time empowered to make a change and reverse her fortune. The book is dark, it's messy, but in a roundabout way, it's an empowering read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.
June 22, 2022
Jane returns to the Shetland Islands, where she lived with her parents. She’s hoping for a new & quiet life but then the police contact her to advise that they may have found the body of her mother, who has been missing since Jane was a child. This marks the point where we begin to learn about Jane’s past & that of her parents. The book jumps between past & present, as Jane reads her mother’s diaries, and we also are presented with Jane’s own recollections of her childhood.
Still Water is a brilliant exploration of post-natal depression, which wasn’t known as such when Jane’s mother was alive. Jane becomes concerned that her mother’s feelings and actions are hereditary and that she is destined for the same path her mother took.
The book is dark & absolutely devastating at times, but delves into how times have changed. I loved the backdrop of Shetland, which felt well researched. If you’ve read & enjoyed Orla Owen’s PAH and The Lost Thumb, you’ll also appreciate Still Water - exploring turbulent mother/daughter relationships. At times, a difficult read, but a sad story well told. Recommended!
Still Water is a brilliant exploration of post-natal depression, which wasn’t known as such when Jane’s mother was alive. Jane becomes concerned that her mother’s feelings and actions are hereditary and that she is destined for the same path her mother took.
The book is dark & absolutely devastating at times, but delves into how times have changed. I loved the backdrop of Shetland, which felt well researched. If you’ve read & enjoyed Orla Owen’s PAH and The Lost Thumb, you’ll also appreciate Still Water - exploring turbulent mother/daughter relationships. At times, a difficult read, but a sad story well told. Recommended!
November 28, 2022
Mein 50. Buch dieses Jahr und eins der besten. Highlight!
February 25, 2022
Still Water follows Jane Douglas who has returned to the Shetlands from Devon. She has clearly suffered from trauma and this is alluded to early on in the book, with clear signs of what has happened. The book is told through two perspectives - Jane's perspective in the present, and the diaries of her mother which she has found and is reading through to try and gain an idea of why the traumatic events in her life have happened, and how they are likely to affect her life moving forward.
The story is gripping and I didn't want to put it down until I had finished. The two perspectives work really well - Jane sees her mother as evil due to events in her childhood and she is unable to move past that point of view. However, the diaries provide a searing reflection on the treatment of women suffering from post partum depression and show the level of misunderstanding in the 70s and 80s. There are really interesting questions around intergenerational trauma, nature vs nurture and the use of medication.
The subject matter is dark but the ending is hopeful (albeit it felt slightly rushed). I would recommend that people check out the trigger warnings before reading the book, as I found some elements difficult, but I also felt they were incredibly accurate, especially the diary entries which document a slow decline and show so many opportunities where I would hope that interventions would today be put in place.
TW - baby death / self harm / suicide / prem birth / murder
The story is gripping and I didn't want to put it down until I had finished. The two perspectives work really well - Jane sees her mother as evil due to events in her childhood and she is unable to move past that point of view. However, the diaries provide a searing reflection on the treatment of women suffering from post partum depression and show the level of misunderstanding in the 70s and 80s. There are really interesting questions around intergenerational trauma, nature vs nurture and the use of medication.
The subject matter is dark but the ending is hopeful (albeit it felt slightly rushed). I would recommend that people check out the trigger warnings before reading the book, as I found some elements difficult, but I also felt they were incredibly accurate, especially the diary entries which document a slow decline and show so many opportunities where I would hope that interventions would today be put in place.
TW - baby death / self harm / suicide / prem birth / murder
June 21, 2022
Pert's debut is a highly evocative, powerful piece of fiction and definitely worthy of five stars.
So beautifully written, atmospheric and dark, Still Water is a tragic story of grief, trauma and redemption. A dual timeline story told in both past and present, with Jane's mother's story being told in diary excerpts.
It's such a captivating and compelling read, I literally read it from cover to cover in one go.
I cannot begin to imagine how Jane's mother must have felt before and on the lead up to the drastic actions she felt she had to take. By this part of the story my heart was in tatters and my emotions running high.
The characters of Jane and her mother were well developed, highly flawed and they shared uncanny similarities, but Jane had to convince herself that in order to take control of her life, she had to embrace her individuality to become her own woman.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So beautifully written, atmospheric and dark, Still Water is a tragic story of grief, trauma and redemption. A dual timeline story told in both past and present, with Jane's mother's story being told in diary excerpts.
It's such a captivating and compelling read, I literally read it from cover to cover in one go.
I cannot begin to imagine how Jane's mother must have felt before and on the lead up to the drastic actions she felt she had to take. By this part of the story my heart was in tatters and my emotions running high.
The characters of Jane and her mother were well developed, highly flawed and they shared uncanny similarities, but Jane had to convince herself that in order to take control of her life, she had to embrace her individuality to become her own woman.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
January 19, 2022
Received an ARC (the book isn't out till June).
I absolutely loved it. It's by turns atmospheric, funny, chilling, and beautiful. Everything is so vividly described that you can almost touch it in your mind's eye. The author has a knack of getting under the skin of the familiar world and making it seem both fresh and uncanny. And even if you've not been to the Shetland Islands (I have) you'll get a sense of the unique landscape from reading this.
It's going to do very well, I'm sure - it certainly deserves to.
(P.S. Another reviewer notes the blurb on GR is currently incorrect - but it seems to have been updated now.)
I absolutely loved it. It's by turns atmospheric, funny, chilling, and beautiful. Everything is so vividly described that you can almost touch it in your mind's eye. The author has a knack of getting under the skin of the familiar world and making it seem both fresh and uncanny. And even if you've not been to the Shetland Islands (I have) you'll get a sense of the unique landscape from reading this.
It's going to do very well, I'm sure - it certainly deserves to.
(P.S. Another reviewer notes the blurb on GR is currently incorrect - but it seems to have been updated now.)
March 12, 2022
STILL WATER by Rebecca Pert
DEBUT NOVEL
Published date: 23 June 2022
NO SPOILERS
I stopped and started this novel. I could not connect with the storyline. Then, 50% through the book, BANG, I had to finish reading! With believable characters, confusion, annoyance with uncomfortable descriptions in the storyline, I found my emotions taking over. The writing style is not quite to my liking but I had to finish, and I did with tears running down my face.
I give a 4 star rating.
I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
DEBUT NOVEL
Published date: 23 June 2022
NO SPOILERS
I stopped and started this novel. I could not connect with the storyline. Then, 50% through the book, BANG, I had to finish reading! With believable characters, confusion, annoyance with uncomfortable descriptions in the storyline, I found my emotions taking over. The writing style is not quite to my liking but I had to finish, and I did with tears running down my face.
I give a 4 star rating.
I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
March 15, 2022
. This is a beautifully written about trauma, grief and human frailty. It's extremely atmospheric and the cold, hard, environment is almost like an additional character. Rebecca Pert writes respectfully and accurately about post-natal depression and the attitudes and ignorance that existed regarding this condition. It's very sad book in places but ultimately redemptive and a celebration of recovery.
March 18, 2022
This was such an evocatove read. It was well written with well developed characters and a tragically poignant and descriptively beautoful plotline. I was completely captivated by this book, I couldn't put it down and it is going to be with me for a while. I really enjoyed it,
June 22, 2022
I received a gifted advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Random Things Tours.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: trauma, depression, abortion, death of a child, postpartum depression.
Still Water is a well written, harrowing story of trauma and dealing with and coming to terms with the past. This book is told over a dual timeline of the 1970s and the present day. The 1970s timeline is from the diary entries of the POV of Jane's mother. Jane reads her mother's old diaries in the hope of discovering why certain traumatic events have occurred in her life and how these played out to the future effecting both mother and daughter.
Jane has never forgiven her mother for traumas in her life. When her mothers body is found after she disappeared years ago, Jane hurtles back into demons of her past and has to make sense of it all.
This was a very interesting read and highlighted many things that make you think - postpartum depression, medicational usage, bereavement and nature vs nurture. This is a very deep novel that goes in the direction you expect, but very tenderly written in places!
TRIGGER WARNINGS: trauma, depression, abortion, death of a child, postpartum depression.
Still Water is a well written, harrowing story of trauma and dealing with and coming to terms with the past. This book is told over a dual timeline of the 1970s and the present day. The 1970s timeline is from the diary entries of the POV of Jane's mother. Jane reads her mother's old diaries in the hope of discovering why certain traumatic events have occurred in her life and how these played out to the future effecting both mother and daughter.
Jane has never forgiven her mother for traumas in her life. When her mothers body is found after she disappeared years ago, Jane hurtles back into demons of her past and has to make sense of it all.
This was a very interesting read and highlighted many things that make you think - postpartum depression, medicational usage, bereavement and nature vs nurture. This is a very deep novel that goes in the direction you expect, but very tenderly written in places!
May 16, 2022
Firmly rooted in the Shetland islands this book should be used as an advert for the beauty and wildness of the land .I lived the way the land was compared to the softer more bucolic countryside of the West Country
I liked the way the story is told from point of view of both mother and daughter ,I was always clear who I was reading about .Flash backs using the mother character allowed the story to extend over 2 lifetimes comparing and contrasting their lives nicely
The sections dealing with mental illness particularly post partum mental illness were very well written and felt completely real as did the sections on pregnancy and birth
I enjoyed this book and was quickly invested in discovering more about the family .I would recommend to those who like relationship novels or literary novels
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published in June 2022
I liked the way the story is told from point of view of both mother and daughter ,I was always clear who I was reading about .Flash backs using the mother character allowed the story to extend over 2 lifetimes comparing and contrasting their lives nicely
The sections dealing with mental illness particularly post partum mental illness were very well written and felt completely real as did the sections on pregnancy and birth
I enjoyed this book and was quickly invested in discovering more about the family .I would recommend to those who like relationship novels or literary novels
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published in June 2022
May 3, 2022
Jane Douglas is a quiet person besieged by the demons of her family’s past. Living in a caravan on Unst in the Shetlands, she overlooks the derelict croft she shared with her father, mother and baby brother. Working in the local salmon cannery is unpleasant, mind numbing work. She is charged with being aloof and unsociable by some of her work colleagues, and finds it difficult to mix. Apart from Mike, her boyfriend of a few months, and Maggie, a friend and neighbour, there is no one else important in her life.
This plot follows two stories, Jane’s mother Sylvia as a young girl in Devon, and Jane herself, a woman in her 30’s.
The story is dark and deep, dealing with some very sensitive issues.
The author has hit the ground running with this atmospheric and intense story and her descriptive narrative is very compelling. The only downside was rather a rushed ending, which seemed to pull the book up short.
I look forward to reading more from Rebecca Pert.
Thank you NetGalley.
This plot follows two stories, Jane’s mother Sylvia as a young girl in Devon, and Jane herself, a woman in her 30’s.
The story is dark and deep, dealing with some very sensitive issues.
The author has hit the ground running with this atmospheric and intense story and her descriptive narrative is very compelling. The only downside was rather a rushed ending, which seemed to pull the book up short.
I look forward to reading more from Rebecca Pert.
Thank you NetGalley.
April 26, 2022
This poignant novel is primarily set on one of the Shetland Islands and centers around Jane, a woman haunted by family demons. There is a second story in a previous timeframe, that surrounds her mother's diaries. Very readable, albeit some dark character development and difficult topics such as mental illness, murder, grief and trauma. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
June 26, 2022
Well this is another stunning debut! I’m really not mad about spending so much fictional time in the Shetland Islands lately because this is another wonderfully atmospheric and haunting story!
Jane Douglas moved back to the Shetland Islands to escape her tragic past and live a quiet life. But as two huge changes happen to her at once, the ground beneath her doesn’t seem so steady anymore - and maybe to move on with her own life, she finally needs to face up to the actions of her mother, the woman whose body has finally been found after all these years…
Ok so initially I was purely drawn to this book because its title is the name of my favourite restaurant (simple creature I know), but THANK GOD FOR THAT! This is not one you want to miss out on - I picked it up one evening thinking I’d read 10 pages to get a feel for it and finally put it down 90 pages later. It’s so addictive despite the fact that it is of course fairly dark and depressing, dealing with trauma, grief, loss and the darker side of motherhood.
I think the reason I couldn’t put it down was the structure of the story - whilst we have Jane’s narrative in the present, we also then get to read her mother’s diaries from before and after she was born as the mystery slowly unravels, and this just made the story feel really well paced and addictive. The diaries definitely feel like the juiciest part of the story, although they’re also really heartbreaking as we watch this bright young woman’s life turn upside down leading to an inevitable tragedy. I could definitely relate to some of her postpartum struggles and found it all really emotional to read, having a sense of what was coming.
But thankfully, whilst this is definitely bleak in many ways, there’s also hope and even a lightness towards the end to balance things out. And there’s just something about that isolated landscape which I can’t get enough of - like a character within itself! A stunning, haunting read which I’d highly recommend!
Jane Douglas moved back to the Shetland Islands to escape her tragic past and live a quiet life. But as two huge changes happen to her at once, the ground beneath her doesn’t seem so steady anymore - and maybe to move on with her own life, she finally needs to face up to the actions of her mother, the woman whose body has finally been found after all these years…
Ok so initially I was purely drawn to this book because its title is the name of my favourite restaurant (simple creature I know), but THANK GOD FOR THAT! This is not one you want to miss out on - I picked it up one evening thinking I’d read 10 pages to get a feel for it and finally put it down 90 pages later. It’s so addictive despite the fact that it is of course fairly dark and depressing, dealing with trauma, grief, loss and the darker side of motherhood.
I think the reason I couldn’t put it down was the structure of the story - whilst we have Jane’s narrative in the present, we also then get to read her mother’s diaries from before and after she was born as the mystery slowly unravels, and this just made the story feel really well paced and addictive. The diaries definitely feel like the juiciest part of the story, although they’re also really heartbreaking as we watch this bright young woman’s life turn upside down leading to an inevitable tragedy. I could definitely relate to some of her postpartum struggles and found it all really emotional to read, having a sense of what was coming.
But thankfully, whilst this is definitely bleak in many ways, there’s also hope and even a lightness towards the end to balance things out. And there’s just something about that isolated landscape which I can’t get enough of - like a character within itself! A stunning, haunting read which I’d highly recommend!
June 14, 2022
A dark story, twisty and fascinating. A dual timeline, women who suffered loss and trauma, the fascinating setting of the Shetland.
It's poignant and sometimes disturbing story, I found it a bit depressing at times.
The author is a talented storyteller, the descriptions of the Shetland are fascinating, and the characters well developed.
It's recommended.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's poignant and sometimes disturbing story, I found it a bit depressing at times.
The author is a talented storyteller, the descriptions of the Shetland are fascinating, and the characters well developed.
It's recommended.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
June 20, 2022
I really wanted to read this book as it was set in Shetland but I fell in love with it because of its beautiful enigmatic and sometimes ethereal writing. It is quite something that this is a debut novel. It is a very accomplished novel and it feels very self fulfilled. The author clearly knew the story she wanted to tell and achieved it perfectly. This story is about two women struggling to make their way in the World, dealing with grief and mental health issues. I think this book deals with these issues sensitively whilst creating an atmospheric and compelling read helped by the beautiful backdrop that is the Shetland Islands.
May 26, 2022
A beautifully written atmospheric story of trauma, grief and redemption, Still Water is a beautiful yet brutal debut from Rebecca Pert.
In all honesty, it was the cover of this Cheltenham Literary Festival First Novel Award winner that caught my attention when I was idly browsing NetGalley. I wasn't sure that the blurb appealed enough that if I picked the book up in-store, I’d make the purchase, but I took a punt and requested the opportunity to review. Oh, am I glad I did, finishing the book in around 5 hours of solid reading; I simply could not put my kindle down.
When Jane Douglas returns to Scotland, she wants only to forget about the terrible events of her childhood. Yet she lives in a tiny community where everyone knows everyone else's business, and her history is well known to all over a certain age.
She lives a simple life, initially as a punitive event and then out of it becoming her norm, then she finds love with Mike, and life looks like it's on the up. Until that is, she receives news that her mother's body has been found in a quarry, years after she disappeared without a trace.
Through two concurrent storylines - Janes's current life and Janes's reading of her mother's diaries we discover the whole sad tale while being able to compare and contrast their lives.
Pert's novel explores issues around pregnancy, post-partum depression, the challenges of motherhood, homesickness and the complexities of ‘belonging’. Pert tackles these issues head-on but with appropriate sensitivity in this richly descriptive piece; her portrayal of both the characters and local landscapes are evocative.
Saying that, I did find her approach a little too conventional in places; I felt like I was stepping into a particularly complex episode of Shetland (a UK television drama).
Can Jane ever escape her demons and lay to rest those tragic memories? After all, still water runs deep, or so they say.
In all honesty, it was the cover of this Cheltenham Literary Festival First Novel Award winner that caught my attention when I was idly browsing NetGalley. I wasn't sure that the blurb appealed enough that if I picked the book up in-store, I’d make the purchase, but I took a punt and requested the opportunity to review. Oh, am I glad I did, finishing the book in around 5 hours of solid reading; I simply could not put my kindle down.
When Jane Douglas returns to Scotland, she wants only to forget about the terrible events of her childhood. Yet she lives in a tiny community where everyone knows everyone else's business, and her history is well known to all over a certain age.
She lives a simple life, initially as a punitive event and then out of it becoming her norm, then she finds love with Mike, and life looks like it's on the up. Until that is, she receives news that her mother's body has been found in a quarry, years after she disappeared without a trace.
Through two concurrent storylines - Janes's current life and Janes's reading of her mother's diaries we discover the whole sad tale while being able to compare and contrast their lives.
Pert's novel explores issues around pregnancy, post-partum depression, the challenges of motherhood, homesickness and the complexities of ‘belonging’. Pert tackles these issues head-on but with appropriate sensitivity in this richly descriptive piece; her portrayal of both the characters and local landscapes are evocative.
Saying that, I did find her approach a little too conventional in places; I felt like I was stepping into a particularly complex episode of Shetland (a UK television drama).
Can Jane ever escape her demons and lay to rest those tragic memories? After all, still water runs deep, or so they say.
November 6, 2022
„raue Wasser“ von Rebecca Pert hat mich überwältigt.
Pert schreibt über Familie, Erlösung und Traumata, sowie über Neuanfänge. Die Handlung spielt auf einer einsamen Shetlandinsel.
Wir begleiten die Protagonistin Jane auf ihrer Flucht vor der Vergangenheit und der Angst, die psychische Krankheit ihrer Mutter geerbt zu haben.
Mich hat der Schreibstil direkt in seinen Bann genommen. Ich konnte bereits nach den ersten Seiten das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Es liest sich flüssig, spannend und macht einen definitiv neugierig auf mehr.
Die Gefühle von Jane kommen unglaublich gut durch den Schreibstil beim Leser/bei der Leserin an. Ich konnte sehr gut mitfühlen.
Ich möchte nach diesem Debütroman unbedingt mehr von Pert lesen. Für mich ist dieses Buch, die Geschichte ein wahnsinniges Highlight.
Übersetzt von Heike Reissig.
Buchdetails: erschienen am 25.10.2022 im Ecco-Verlag | Hardcover | 336 Seiten | 22,00€
Pert schreibt über Familie, Erlösung und Traumata, sowie über Neuanfänge. Die Handlung spielt auf einer einsamen Shetlandinsel.
Wir begleiten die Protagonistin Jane auf ihrer Flucht vor der Vergangenheit und der Angst, die psychische Krankheit ihrer Mutter geerbt zu haben.
Mich hat der Schreibstil direkt in seinen Bann genommen. Ich konnte bereits nach den ersten Seiten das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Es liest sich flüssig, spannend und macht einen definitiv neugierig auf mehr.
Die Gefühle von Jane kommen unglaublich gut durch den Schreibstil beim Leser/bei der Leserin an. Ich konnte sehr gut mitfühlen.
Ich möchte nach diesem Debütroman unbedingt mehr von Pert lesen. Für mich ist dieses Buch, die Geschichte ein wahnsinniges Highlight.
Übersetzt von Heike Reissig.
Buchdetails: erschienen am 25.10.2022 im Ecco-Verlag | Hardcover | 336 Seiten | 22,00€
June 30, 2022
Book covers keep getting better and better don’t they? This one is stunning in its simplicity and gives an evocative insight into the haunting story this debut novel tells. Pert won the First Novel Award at Cheltenham Literary Festival for the book.
Jane has returned to Unst in the Shetland Islands where she spent her early childhood years. She has a steady job in a fish factory and a loving boyfriend in fisherman Mike, but she is haunted by her past. When she is notified by police that her mother’s prosthetic arm has been found in a quarry in Devon, Jane begins to read her mother’s diaries, creating a dual narrative timeline of 1979 and the present day, opening up the secrets and lies of the past.
Still Water is a hard book to categorise. It deals with some very heavy topics (cw: post partum depression, post partum psychosis, intrusive thoughts, abortion, grief, suicide) but it’s somehow not a heavy read. Pert has written the book with a huge amount of empathy and gentleness.
The trope of the diaries was a little clichéd and there were some details in the book that didn’t quite ring true. Having said that, it was a compelling, immersive read and for anyone who has ever had a baby and felt completely at sea, there will be a lot to relate to in here.
The pieces in the book on intrusive thoughts were particularly well done - I experienced these after having our children (manifesting themselves as worries about what might happen to them) but I wasn’t aware of what they were until my third child. Thankfully, I never experienced anything more severe but this story serves as a reminder of how closely we need to mind new mothers 💔.
An atmospheric read that I can see being a word of mouth success and a popular one with book clubs, I really enjoyed it. 4/5 ⭐️
*Still Water by Rebecca Pert was published on 23 June and is widely available. Many thanks to the publisher @boroughpress and @netgalley for a digital copy of the book. As always, this is an honest review.*
Jane has returned to Unst in the Shetland Islands where she spent her early childhood years. She has a steady job in a fish factory and a loving boyfriend in fisherman Mike, but she is haunted by her past. When she is notified by police that her mother’s prosthetic arm has been found in a quarry in Devon, Jane begins to read her mother’s diaries, creating a dual narrative timeline of 1979 and the present day, opening up the secrets and lies of the past.
Still Water is a hard book to categorise. It deals with some very heavy topics (cw: post partum depression, post partum psychosis, intrusive thoughts, abortion, grief, suicide) but it’s somehow not a heavy read. Pert has written the book with a huge amount of empathy and gentleness.
The trope of the diaries was a little clichéd and there were some details in the book that didn’t quite ring true. Having said that, it was a compelling, immersive read and for anyone who has ever had a baby and felt completely at sea, there will be a lot to relate to in here.
The pieces in the book on intrusive thoughts were particularly well done - I experienced these after having our children (manifesting themselves as worries about what might happen to them) but I wasn’t aware of what they were until my third child. Thankfully, I never experienced anything more severe but this story serves as a reminder of how closely we need to mind new mothers 💔.
An atmospheric read that I can see being a word of mouth success and a popular one with book clubs, I really enjoyed it. 4/5 ⭐️
*Still Water by Rebecca Pert was published on 23 June and is widely available. Many thanks to the publisher @boroughpress and @netgalley for a digital copy of the book. As always, this is an honest review.*
June 4, 2022
Loved this! There's something haunting about the cover which immediately drew me in and I'm happy that's happened cos I would have potentially otherwise missed this beautifully written tale of family trauma, grief, mental illness and the challenges of motherhood. Superbly told and so intense an unflinching but with a vein of empathy and compassion that runs all the way throughout the story.
I find it hard to believe this is Rebecca Pert's debut - what a talent! I'll definitely keep a close eye on her future works.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I find it hard to believe this is Rebecca Pert's debut - what a talent! I'll definitely keep a close eye on her future works.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 24, 2022
I really liked this book. When Jane Douglas returns to Shetland she only wants to forget about the terrible events of her childhood. She lives a simple life and has found love with her partner, Mike. But then she receives news that her mother's body has been found in a quarry, years after she disappeared without trace. Through her mother's diaries we discover the whole sad tale. Can Jane ever escape her demons and lay to rest those tragic memories? I recommend this book whole heartedly. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
June 3, 2023
A dark, intense, atmospheric read. I started and couldn't stop until the last page was turned. Great writing style that suited the story. Really enjoyed this and would recommend it.
June 30, 2022
By no means is ‘Still Water’ a happy book but its beautiful prose gives us a tense but stunning glimpse into the issues of postpartum psychosis and mental health in general. Be prepared if you have triggers as this book doesn't hold punches when it comes to documenting the women’s experiences. I found some of passages heartbreaking but Rebecca’s writing makes this story compelling and I flew through this book.
Jane has returned to her childhood home of Shetland and leads a simple life - works at the local cannery and spends evenings watching the tv with her boyfriend. But when Jane is informed that there is new evidence in her mother’s missing person case, it brings up old memories. Jane doesn't want to face the past but it turns out she may need to!
Jane and her mother were such strong well-developed characters. I liked how there were the two different voices running through the book as you really saw the rawness of Sylvia’s experience through her diary entries. The location adds to the isolation that problems with mental health can cause an individual to develop. I have experienced that darkness of northern Scotland when it's pitch black and no other light to see. The scrutiny of the locals to the ‘incomers’ and unfortunately the other darkness as well! Rebecca tackles all of this with empathy and the women’s tales come across as real, raw and authentic. I particularly liked the difference in each woman’s medical experiences - such a difference in a generation.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
Jane has returned to her childhood home of Shetland and leads a simple life - works at the local cannery and spends evenings watching the tv with her boyfriend. But when Jane is informed that there is new evidence in her mother’s missing person case, it brings up old memories. Jane doesn't want to face the past but it turns out she may need to!
Jane and her mother were such strong well-developed characters. I liked how there were the two different voices running through the book as you really saw the rawness of Sylvia’s experience through her diary entries. The location adds to the isolation that problems with mental health can cause an individual to develop. I have experienced that darkness of northern Scotland when it's pitch black and no other light to see. The scrutiny of the locals to the ‘incomers’ and unfortunately the other darkness as well! Rebecca tackles all of this with empathy and the women’s tales come across as real, raw and authentic. I particularly liked the difference in each woman’s medical experiences - such a difference in a generation.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
July 1, 2022
I think it’s safe to say Jane lives in a bubble of self-motivated confinement, due to her past trauma. She carefully navigates the world by engaging at the bare minimum with her surroundings. Her work, her lover and her neighbour. Never too close.
The bubble starts to deteriorates when a cold blast from the past brings all the trauma back to the present, and Jane finds it increasingly hard to cope. The body of her missing mother brings everything to the point of teetering on the edge.
For me the core of this premise is the way women are perceived, judged and ultimately treated according to certain misconceptions. The go-to language and judgement always veers towards the negative and the dark side. It’s important to keep that in mind, especially when it comes to Jane’s mother.
Also, even after so many decades and more understanding surrounding women, childbirth, and the subsequent experience of motherhood – there are still plenty of misunderstood areas when it comes to the aforementioned and women’s health in general. Still very much second class citizens, who are fobbed off as hysterical, weak, emotional and misdiagnosed.
This is a poignant reminder of all of the above, whilst simultaneously speaking truth and why it is always a matter of individual subjective perception when it comes to the often difficult relationships between mothers and daughters. It’s a remarkable read.
The bubble starts to deteriorates when a cold blast from the past brings all the trauma back to the present, and Jane finds it increasingly hard to cope. The body of her missing mother brings everything to the point of teetering on the edge.
For me the core of this premise is the way women are perceived, judged and ultimately treated according to certain misconceptions. The go-to language and judgement always veers towards the negative and the dark side. It’s important to keep that in mind, especially when it comes to Jane’s mother.
Also, even after so many decades and more understanding surrounding women, childbirth, and the subsequent experience of motherhood – there are still plenty of misunderstood areas when it comes to the aforementioned and women’s health in general. Still very much second class citizens, who are fobbed off as hysterical, weak, emotional and misdiagnosed.
This is a poignant reminder of all of the above, whilst simultaneously speaking truth and why it is always a matter of individual subjective perception when it comes to the often difficult relationships between mothers and daughters. It’s a remarkable read.
July 6, 2022
A visceral, eerie and compelling book. From the very beginning I knew that this was something special.
An unusual setting in the Shetland Islands, the landscape is portrayed in a haunting form, evoking foreboding from the ground to the sky. The main character working in a fish processing factory adds a chilling and grotesque element.
The story is about a woman who is content with her life despite living under a cloud of past trauma. The distress and anxiety is reignited when something is found in a flooded quarry. This is all revealed gradually as she reads her mother's diaries that tell of her meeting her father, getting married, having children and moving to the Shetland Islands as well as other disturbing issues. Told from only these two perspectives, it is an intimate and challenging account.
Expertly and beautifully written, the reader sits under a chill until the end. Feeling exposed and raw from this journey, I'm waiting for the next book from this new writer. Recommended for those who like courageous and resolute novels.
An unusual setting in the Shetland Islands, the landscape is portrayed in a haunting form, evoking foreboding from the ground to the sky. The main character working in a fish processing factory adds a chilling and grotesque element.
The story is about a woman who is content with her life despite living under a cloud of past trauma. The distress and anxiety is reignited when something is found in a flooded quarry. This is all revealed gradually as she reads her mother's diaries that tell of her meeting her father, getting married, having children and moving to the Shetland Islands as well as other disturbing issues. Told from only these two perspectives, it is an intimate and challenging account.
Expertly and beautifully written, the reader sits under a chill until the end. Feeling exposed and raw from this journey, I'm waiting for the next book from this new writer. Recommended for those who like courageous and resolute novels.
June 26, 2022
This was a really slow burn for the first half or so. It took me a bit of time to get into it but once I was in I was hooked! The dual perspective narrative works really well as it really demonstrates Jane’s thoughts and the diaries from her mother makes you consider her actions from a different angle. We are able to compare and contrast both Jane and her mother’s life as we move through the story which adds to the dark and twisty nature.
There’s a lot of difficult content to manage in this novel but it’s handled with a beautiful writing style. The look at how trauma, grief as well as medication and post-natal depression has affected Jane’s life. It’s a difficult read at many times yet I finished it feeling empowered and satisfied.
There’s a lot of difficult content to manage in this novel but it’s handled with a beautiful writing style. The look at how trauma, grief as well as medication and post-natal depression has affected Jane’s life. It’s a difficult read at many times yet I finished it feeling empowered and satisfied.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews