Life Without Water: A NovelBy turns wry and heart-rending, this first novel by up-and-coming North Carolina writer Nancy Peacock takes the form of an unvarnished reminiscence of growing up during the cultural craziness of the late '60s and early '70s. Life Without Water parts the heavy curtain drawn closed by the Reagan era and takes us back to the summer of love, to a country convulsed by Vietnam, to a generation in search of itself. With the clear-eyed honesty only the very young are capable of, Cedar recounts the story of her childhood in a ramshackle farmhouse in the country outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a household shared - in the fashion of the times - by two adult couples and their three children. In particular, it is the story of Cedar and her mother, Sara, and young Cedar's unflagging - and largely unsuccessful - efforts to help Sara repair the emotional damage done by the death of her beloved brother in Vietnam. |
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Albert Masey arms asked attic Baby Roo back porch baskets Beatles beside blue boots Bouncey boxwood buried Cedar chair Chatham County clothes coffee color creak dark door doughnut dresser driveway Elaine's father fingers fire floor Gramma hair hand Haw River head hear heard ice cubes inside Jack Jimmie's kitchen knew laughing Leah listened living looked Luke Jones mattress Momma and Daniel Momma says Momma told Moons mother never night North Carolina Norther and Roxy okay outhouse paint picked picture placenta grave plastic pottery barn pottery wheel puddles pulled rocks Roo's sitting sleep smiled smoke Sol's stacked stairs started stayed stood story stove tee-shirt tell things took Topaz tree truck turned ukulele Uncle Jimmie vine walked wanted watched Daniel week White Album window winter wood woodstove Woody and Elaine Woody's wrapped yard