The Girl in the Water
A novel by Joseph Howse, published by
Nummist Media (2022)
The Girl in the Water is the story of a multiethnic
group of young friends, coming of age in Estonia and Ukraine in the last days
of the Soviet Union. Their lives are shaped by an Afghan war, the Chernobyl
disaster, and the collapse and legacy of a suffocating society.
“Where can I order it?”
Read All About It
The novel has garnered praise as both a lifelike family drama and a literary
statement in the tradition of the Russian classics.
🇺🇸 The Girl in the Water has won the 2023 Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction. The judging committee, consisting of US book industry experts, scored it as the best work of literary fiction among entries from small and mid-sized publishers around the world.
🇺🇸 The Girl in the Water has won the 2023 IPPY Awards Bronze Medal for Best Regional Ebook (Fiction). This “Regional” category is for stories that convey a deep sense of a real-world place. Judges included editors, designers, reviewers, booksellers, and librarians who are experts on the North American market.
🇺🇸 The Girl in the Water is currently a finalist in the 2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards for Multicultural Fiction. Finalists were picked by the editors of Foreword Reviews magazine and will be judged by a US librarian and a US bookseller to determine the winners.
🇨🇦 Allison Lawlor, “The Book Shelf” columnist for The Chronicle Herald and the SaltWire Network, has featured the novel in an interview with Joseph Howse.
🇳🇿 ★★★★½ “a captivating story that sheds light on the complexities of human nature in times of great change … A must-read for anyone interested in the impact of historical events and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.” —Benji Allen, Waikato Independent
🇺🇸 ★★★★½ “Joseph Howse evokes the literary styles of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky … Howse’s novel feels Russian, from its ornate structure to its social commentary to its wry humor. The author has composed a book like Tchaikovsky would a symphony; tight, disciplined, yet bubbling with unspoken passion and near-magical allegory.” —Rob Errera, IndieReader
IndieReader has also featured the novel in its “Best Reviewed Books of the Month” (December 2022) and in an interview with Joseph Howse.
🇺🇸 “A resilient coming-of-age story … The author includes emotional, compelling scenes with every character, as each one has been dealt a vastly different hand of cards. … It feels very down-to-Earth and includes necessary comical moments throughout. I did not know much about the events or places in this book before, but after finishing it and doing a little extra curiosity research, I’m thankful to have learned something new in such an engaging way.” —Audrey Davis, Independent Book Review
🇬🇧 “A coming of age narrative held against the backdrop of the last days of the Soviet Union … This setting and context of the book feels authentic and it is clear that a lot of research has been carried out in order to add dimension to the story. The sense of change in the setting reflects the coming-of-age themes in the characters’ narratives. … I think that this book would appeal to those interested in character driven family dramas and relationship stories, and may appeal to those interested in modern Eastern European history.” —LoveReading Ambassador
🇺🇸 “Of special appeal to fans of coming-of-age and family life novels, laced with humor, memorable characters, and an inherently interesting, narrative driven, storyline, ‘The Girl in the Water’ is unreservedly recommended as an addition to personal reading lists and community library Contemporary General Fiction collections.” —Midwest Book Review
“Somehow it feels like the last summer on Earth. … There are wrynecks and Geiger counters, speaking to the mute and masked masses of mankind.” —Joseph Howse, The Girl in the Water
Order It
The Girl in the Water is available worldwide in paperback and
ebook editions. To find it, preview it, and order it, please browse the following options.
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Discuss It
Any good story can be read in multiple ways, in part because readers bring their own experiences and book-learning from beyond the pages in hand. Thus, it is the author’s hope that no two conversations about this novel will be the same. Even so, reading groups may wish to download our book club guide to find some possible starting points for their discussions.
Stay Tuned
For more news and images about this novel and future works, follow Joseph online:
Ask About Publicity
🇳🇿 New Zealand media and event planners should enquire with
Fantail Communications, our publicist
in Auckland.
For all other publicity enquiries, please
email Joseph Howse.
Ask About Rights
Publishers who may wish to translate The Girl in the Water should
enquire with DropCap,
our foreign rights literary agent.
For all other rights enquiries, please
email Joseph Howse.