The Sweetness of Water

"It was a big hit, because it was also an Oprah’s Book Club pick. It’s about late Civil War-era Georgia, so you’re dealing with a lot of different themes here. There is a lot of heavy stuff in this book. William DeMeritt is just so fantastic as a narrator. This is a great example—much like with Hail Mary and Ray Porter—of how, when you have a strong text and a fantastic narrator, it elevates the work even more. It’s about two brothers who have been emancipated and are coming to work on a farm with another family. It’s a lot about family relationships and there is a lot of interpersonal stuff within the historical fiction."