The Water Man's Daughter

by Emma Ruby-Sachs

An accomplished, hard-hitting debut novel that marries a page-turning plot with the stories of three women, each of whom is struggling with decisions that will change the course of her life.

The violent death of a Canadian water company executive in a black township of Johannesburg throws together a South African anti-privatization activist and the water executive's daughter, Claire, who arrives suddenly from Canada desperate to understand her father's death. The murder investigation -- led by an officer who is finding her own loyalties increasingly unclear -- and Claire's personal quest become entwined, and the young Canadian's involvement with the activist brings her ever closer to a shocking truth she might not be able to bear. The Water Man's Daughter , like its characters, is fierce and tender, thought-provoking and emotionally rich. It introduces Emma Ruby-Sachs as an enormously talented, original, and fearless new voice in Canadian fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Africa, Canada, Literature, Mystery, Ebooks

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Emma Ruby-Sachs is a lawyer and writer. She studied law at the University of Toronto and the University of Chicago and currently works as a consultant for Avaaz.org and writes for The Huffington Post. She lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Juniper · Rating 3 out of 5]

sigh - the dreaded 3-star rating. the book was good-ish. good enough. i certainly appreciated the light ruby-sachs shed on the issue of water privatization in south africa and the struggles faced by so many. i was quite interested in the characters ruby-sachs created, but they - and the writing - felt stilted, or somehow not fully formed. as a debut, it's impressive enough to make me interested in further fiction from ruby-sachs and, in fact, the ending is left with the potential for certain characters to return in another story.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars. Very, very mixed feelings about this book. It was so promising when it started out, and then it disintegrated over time.

What I loved about this book was its concept and setting. It was set in the South African townships and the major characters were all women. One of the main characters is an anti-water privatization activist named Nomsulwa. Another is a police chief named Zembe. The third is the water man's daughter, a Canadian named Claire Matthews.

Claire's father, a water man working for a company who privatizes water, is killed in a township. Claire comes to South Africa to try to find out more about his death, and Nomsulwa has to act as her tour guide. THis was a VERY interesting premise, but there were things that didn't work. The character of Claire appears completely vapid and spineless and it just didn't work for me. I also found that the plot- which is about WHO killed Claire's father, got lost in some of the details.

So my main points would be for the setting and themes of the story, which reminded me of some of the stuff that I studied in International Studies in uni. I would consider reading other books by this author, but have to admit that there were some major flaws with this one.

[Jane Glen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I tried and I tried and I tried, but I can't be bothered to finish it. Although the premise is good, the characters are inconsistent and poorly developed, and the story certainly is not consistent with the title. The daughter is a very minor character and although it is supposed to have something to do with her father's death, it seems to have little bearing on it. A great disappointment.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent read.
>It has some interesting characters,
>I appreciated learning more about South Africa, and the politics and problems of water privatization there
>I guessed 'who dunnit' fairly early on
-but the why's of it were a bit convoluted for me
-also the book was still interesting even so
>I appreciated the way Ruby-Sachs examined the difficult decisions people must make in these types of complicated, double-bind situations

Overall, I a solid read. If the author publishes more books, I will likely read them.

[Lisa Wallace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose this book because I wanted to learn about South Africa. Because we can't travel, I like to travel in books and through characters. This book wasn't bad, but it just didn't paint a picture of South Africa that I could fully comprehend. I think that says something about the power of the authors words. It just wasn't there. I learned a lot about some of the politics of SA, but that's really all I took away from it. Not one I would recommend, but I'm not upset that I read it.

[Hanah Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it enough to finish, it was an interesting story into a different world

[Friederike Knabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dead man, his grieving daughter, a community activist leader, and a local police woman are at the centre of Emma Ruby-Sachs's ambitious debut novel. Sounds like a murder mystery? Well, it is that and quite a bit more. Set in Soweto, at a time when hopes of township dwellers for a better life are gradually being eroded, Emma Ruby-Sachs builds a colourful portrait of a community that finds itself in opposition to an international corporation; the story delves into the conflicts that the differing interests entail. The bone of contention is the new privately-run water supply system. On top of the other economic hardships faced by the local people, the installation of a new water distribution system will require everybody to buy any water usage above their limited personal allowance. While much more convenient and possibly safer, thanks to taps inside their small houses or compounds, the personal allowance is much too low for the families' needs. As traditionally responsible for the water in the family, the women's action is aimed at delaying the operation of the new system. Organized by the Phiri Community Foundation and led by twenty-six year old Nomsulwa they dig up the distribution pipes! A crisis erupts: the water company's respected water engineer is sent from Canada to Johannesburg to negotiate some sort of deal or compromise. Problem is: his counterparts are the local elders and power brokers, who demand ever more money to "keep their women under control". After only one day of meetings and a boozy night, Peter, known as "The Water Man" to the locals, is found dead, brutally murdered...While the investigation drags on, Claire, his daughter, arrives to find out what happened.

Ruby-Sachs's sympathies are with her South African characters: they are vividly and believably presented. As readers we can visualize them within their local environment, preoccupied by challenges, economical as well as personal. Nomsulwa "feels ancient, part of a thousand generations of women who fought for their community." The author captures her beautifully, caught as she is between community needs and law and order requirements. Her counterpart, Zembe Africa, the local police officer, is similarly torn between, on the one hand, her duty to pursue the pipe thieves and, on top of that, a murder enquiry and, on the other, her sense of belonging to and empathy with the community's problems and Nomsulwa's personal dilemma. For reasons that will be clear pretty early on, she pairs Nomsulwa with Claire: the local woman as the driver and "chaperone" for the "white girl". Can they even communicate? And what could be the outcome?

Ruby-Sachs, a lawyer by training and profession, has set herself a major challenge with her first novel: how to bring an explosive political issue, such as the privatization of water supply to poor communities in Africa, convincingly into a fictional setting and blend its treatment into a novel that engages the reader, beyond its central issues. While the murder mystery provides a useful frame for her novel, its narrative strength lies with the depiction of her South African characters, their environment and the deeper problems they confront. Conscious, no doubt, of not overwhelming the reader with her underlying concerns, the author relies on the interested reader to pick up on the numerous references and allusions in the text to delve deeper into the topics that preoccupy her beyond her fictional writing.

[Beatrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

South Africa is a country that has seen tremendous changes over the past 20 years since the end of Apartheid. Building the new “rainbow society” has been very challenging, problems of violence and economic hardship persist. Definitely a place that can be an inspiration for many stories to be told.

The story of “The Water Man’s Daughter” has indeed a lot of potential. The plot is promising, the range of characters very interesting.

I like that most characters have shades of grey and aren’t easy to categorize into good and evil. Some are a bit more klischee but the protagonists are fairly well developed.

The book starts strong and I feel I learn quite a bit about the background of South African society these days. And I fall in love with the characters, especially Nomsulwa, a community activist, Claire, a visitor from Canada on the search for the spirit of her murdered father, and Zembe, a police detective. I hope for a happy end for them, even though I fear that it might not happen. But as it goes on I’m a bit disappointed as the plot becomes rather predictable and slows down. At the same time, a lot of my questions about some of the current issues in the country remain unanswered. And to be fair, it would been unrealistic to see them all addressed in just one book. But a bit more would have been helpful.

In the end, it was the language of the book that did not quite work for me. It felt very straight forward - and I had hoped for more African style story telling. Emma Ruby-Sachs uses the local language but its use doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t even know if or when it’s Xhosa or Zulu or another language? There is a lot of it and the translation is not always provided. And even if the translation is included it gives simply the content but not the “feel” of the language. I’ve read other books (some by Ngugi or Stefanie Zweig’s ‘Nowhere in Africa’) and music lyrics (especially Johnny Clegg’s English-Zulu lyrics) that were much more successful in transmitting the flair of the African languages using English.

“The Water Man’s Daughter” has a lot of going for it. Incredible potential! but my - admittingly high - expectations were not quite met. While reading it I could never forget that the story was told by a Canadian author and wish it would have been written in a more African style.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This debut novel by Emma Ruby-Sachs has much in common with the classic police procedural but manages to push the boundaries of this well-worn genre. Set in Johannesburg and surrounding townships, the story involves three women with different and often conflicting missions. Peter Matthews works for a company that is modernizing the water distribution infrastructure in the townships. However the project has met with opposition and open resistance from locals because once the new system is in place, the cost of the water it provides is beyond what most people are able to pay. One night, after a series of contentious meetings with local politicians, Matthews is murdered and his mutilated body left in a yard behind some houses. Zembe Afrika is the detective in charge of the investigation. Nomsulwa Sithu is a leader of the resistance. It is a tightly knit community where everyone knows everybody else, and after a couple of weeks, with the investigation going nowhere, Zemba enlists Nomsulwa's help when Claire Matthews, daughter of the murdered man, arrives from Toronto seeking answers. Reluctantly Nomsulwa takes charge of Claire, her plan to show the girl what she needs to see and not one thing more. But an unexpected intimacy springs up between these two young women from vastly different cultures, and Nomsulwa ends up giving away more of herself and her passions than she intended. When the truth comes out, as it always does, Nomsulwa and Zembe find it necessary to balance loyalty against duty. The mystery is engaging, the story well paced, and Ruby-Sachs' indulges in the occasional literary flourish, but the reason to read this book is the interaction among three strong female characters who often clash, but who ultimately are all searching for the same thing.

[Esil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The idea and setting are interesting and I am happy to support a young Canadian author. However it didn't really work for me. The writing was not very engaging and I wasn't convinced that this was what it would feel like to live and work as a black South African woman. It was curious that we don't really see things from the point of view of the waterman's daughter -- a point of view that would have been interesting that Ruby-Sachs might have been in a good position to communicate. And the ending was strange. Not who did it and why, but the fact that we find out so late in the day given that the story is told through the eyes of a character who has first hand knowledge.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways, I'm not sure how I feel about this story. It kind of left me hanging at the end; some resolution, but many matters unsatisfied. At its simplest, it's the story of a murder, a Canadian businessman in South Africa trying to establish a water system is found murdered. His daughter comes to South Africa to find out about the murder, to connect with his ghost. She is linked with an African woman, involved in the fight for water rights; there stories intermingle, along with that of Zembe Afrika, the policewoman working to solve the case. It presents a culture I am totally unfamiliar with, the struggle for water rights in the poorer townships, the struggle against corrupt government/ businesses. A very interesting story, but I think I still wanted more. Worth reading.

[Basak · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read overall, and decent writing. The plot frequently falls into cliches though, and a good portion of the dialogues are not very plausible in my opinion. The racial tensions that form the background play out a bit too obviously and tamely - the black man/woman is always the victim, and either out of goodwill or fear (at the end, it doesn't really matter which) they never speak up to the white man/woman, unless, in an accidental burst of savagery, they kill the white man. A little too safe.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the book was great. It gave a lot of interesting background information about water privatization in South Africa, and introduced some multi-faceted characters. It kinda fell apart at the end though. The ending was interesting, but there was no build-up, suspense, or foreshadowing. It was just done, no explanation or motivation explored. Like the author had a page limit, and about halfway through the story she discovered she only had 2 pages left so just abandoned the plot and ended the novel.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one quickly and thoroughly enjoyed it! I would give it 'a page turner' rating which I don't do unless it's completely deserving, in my humble opinion that is. My eyes were certainly opened regarding the water dilemmas faced by the territories in South Africa. This was the author's first book, it was well researched and I anxiously await her next one. Kudos to this Canadian author. Although I gave it a 4 star, 3.8 would be more accurate.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that this book started out with so much potential, but ultimately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was well written, but the ending was really disappointing! It was very anticlimactic and almost too predictable. I also felt that the author could have developed Claire's character a little more. Her part was so small that it made me question the author's decision to include her in the story.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to say thank you to Goodreads and Jessica at McClelland books for providing me with a ARC in a giveaway.

I really wanted to like this book and I found the actual storyline very interesting. However I didn't feel that I connected to any of the characters which left me feeling 'meh' by the end.

[Darlis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have waited a long time to read this and I enjoyed it. The mystery is interesting and there are three good women characters in it. It is set in South Africa and so there is an vibe to the tone of the book. Actually, the Watermans daughter is the least interesting of the three woman, but she is the catalyst for how the other two interact so it is a bit different.

[Lucinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exploration of the politics of development that I thought was excellent at first but, well, the way Ruby-sachs ended it was kind of sloppy. or rather too neat.
Her characterization of the 'water man's daughter' was lacking something, though her other two main characters and the short segment that is written from the perspective of Peter Matthews are excellent.

[Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book out of ones that were available in ebook form our local public library. Goodreads was very helpful in selecting which books I would take on our holiday.

The Water Man's Daughter is a mystery set in Soweto, a South African township. The struggle for access to free clean drinking water is the catalyst for much of what happens.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing book. Politically charged, yet it doesn't lecture or pontificate. What I really liked was how Ruby-Sachs walked us through the controversial activities of the Canadian water companies in South Africa, letting us as reader get enraged. She didn't tell us how to feel, she just let us feel.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insight into post-Aparthied S Africa interesting. Slow reveal made it a bit hard to understand the water management problem at the heart of the story. Some character interactions not well developed. Would likely make a good movie... needs some fleshing out of some parts of the story that a visual presentation would solve.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but it did not live up to my expectations. It was only an okay read. I think it COULD have been a great read, but the author didn't develop the characters, the story. ughh. Glad it's finished. On to the next book on my list. . .

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard an interview with the author and it piqued my interest. Definitely an interesting read, especially a window on the politics of water in Africa, but the 'mystery' plot didn't work as well for me, not as shocking a seemed to be intended.

[Nyala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers very good insight to the water privatization issues in South Africa it also gives a good account of the other prevailing social divisions in post apartheid South Africa. The story is told from a community perspective a down up approach that I greatly appreciated.

[Tkjtwmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Largely it was a crime drama but allowed interesting insights into privitation of life essentials. Always two or more sides to each story/decision. And then there is the justice!! Very different outlook. Wonder if that is how things work in our world, too.

[Carrie Marcotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice read, but the ending just came on a little fast and didn't fit the rest of the book.

[Alyson]

I liked the characters but the whole book was a little...flat. I felt it just dragged on a bit.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story felt some of plot was not flushed out enough to identify deeply with the chacters

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

evocative story that makes you think about "the new oil" which is water and what it means to life everywhere

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book set in South Africa. The interaction of the 3 characters gave different points of view and I suspect a more real view of South Africa today. An easy engaging read!