All the Water I've Seen Is Running

Written by Elias Rodriques

Narrated by Landon Woodson

Former high school classmates reckon with the death of a friend in this stunning debut novel.

Along the Intracoastal waterways of North Florida, Daniel and Aubrey navigated adolescence with the electric intensity that radiates from young people defined by otherness: Aubrey, a self-identified "Southern cracker" and Daniel, the mixed-race son of Jamaican immigrants. When the news of Aubrey's death reaches Daniel in New York, years after they'd lost contact, he is left to grapple with the legacy of his precious and imperfect love for her. At ease now in his own queerness, he is nonetheless drawn back to the muggy haze of his Palm Coast upbringing, tinged by racism and poverty, to find out what happened to Aubrey. Along the way, he reconsiders his and his family's history, both in Jamaica and in this place he once called home.

Buoyed by his teenage track-team buddies ? Twig, a long-distance runner; Desmond, to sprinter; Egypt, Des's girlfriend; and Jess, a chef ? Daniel begins a frantic search for meaning in Aubrey's death, recklessly confronting the drunken country boy he believes may have killed her. Sensitive to the complexities of class, race, and sexuality both in the American South and in Jamaica, All the Water I've Seen Is Running is a novel of uncommon tenderness, grief, and joy. All the while, it evokes the beauty and threat of the place Daniel calls home ? where the river meets the ocean.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705035863

Reviews for All the Water I've Seen Is Running

[hccpsk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Daniel hears about the death of his high school girlfriend back in Florida, he considers returning for the first time since he left there. Now out of the closet and living in New York, Daniel’s life seems settled, but he has many ghosts to confront in Florida, and that is the gist of All the Water I’ve Seen is Running. Debut author Elias Rodriques deftly weaves together Daniel’s present with a sort of stream of consciousness memory that makes All the Water interesting and emotional — even if the memories sometimes get a bit muddled. There are his memories from childhood and high school, family history from his mother’s stories, and even some Jamaican folk tales. Rodriques jams a lot in, considering the bulk of the novel takes place over a few days, and at times it feels like a bit too much — always better when he returns to Daniel. All the Water is an interesting and well-written novel about memory, family, race, and grief, but bring some patience for the meandering parts.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Slow, slow, slow!