Memory of Water

by Emmi Itäranta

Overview

An amazing, award-winning speculative fiction debut novel by a major new talent, in the vein of Ursula K. Le Guin.

Global warming has changed the world’s geography and its politics. Wars are waged over water, and China rules Europe, including the Scandinavian Union, which is occupied by the power state of New Qian. In this far north place, seventeen-year-old Noria Kaitio is learning to become a tea master like her father, a position that holds great responsibility and great secrets. Tea masters alone know the location of hidden water sources, including the natural spring that Noria’s father tends, which once provided water for her whole village.

But secrets do not stay hidden forever, and after her father’s death the army starts watching their town—and Noria. And as water becomes even scarcer, Noria must choose between safety and striking out, between knowledge and kinship.

Imaginative and engaging, lyrical and poignant, Memory of Water is an indelible novel that portrays a future that is all too possible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062326157
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	06/10/2014
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	326,985
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Emmi Itäranta writes fiction in Finnish and English. Her professional background is an eclectic mix of writing-related activities, including stints as a columnist, theatre critic, scriptwriter and press officer. She is the author of Memory of Water and lives in Canterbury, England.

Editorial Reviews

Itäranta’s lyrical style makes this dystopian tale a beautiful exploration of environmental ethics and the power of ritual.

Washington Post Book World on MEMORY OF WATER

[Memory of Water] is simultaneously a coming-of-age story, a fantastic adventure, and a bold warning about a future that is all too real.

Portland Book Review on MEMORY OF WATER

An exceptionally fine debut novel in which all elements come together in a controlled and well-considered manner. At the same time, the novel is fascinating and addictive.

Turun Sanomat - Finland newspaper

An emotionally nuanced study in morality, which draws its suspense from love, choices, and the mark that everyone leaves on the world.

Helsingin Sanomat - Finland newspaper

An exceptionally fine debut novel in which all elements come together in a controlled and well-considered manner. At the same time, the novel is fascinating and addictive.” %COMM_CONTRIB%Turun Sanomat - Finland newspaper

2014-05-07
Delicate medium-future fable that first appeared in Finland in 2012.Global warming has destroyed the old world and its order. Wars were fought over energy resources and water, rendering Norway and Sweden uninhabitable. Now the empire of New Qian rules Asia and much of Europe. In the far north of occupied Finland, where even in winter the temperature rarely drops below 50 degrees and water shortages are endemic, 17-year-old Noria Kaitio studies under her father to become a tea master. Not only must Noria learn the ceremony, with its underlying philosophy and ethics, but she must be introduced to her father's greatest secret: the location of the hidden spring from which the water for the teahouse derives. The region's military chief, Maj. Bolin—a family friend and frequent guest—has been protecting the teahouse, but as water shortages become ever more acute, Bolin's successor, Cmdr. Taro, proves less accommodating. After soldiers dig up the grounds and trash the teahouse, finding nothing, Noria's mother leaves to take up a position at a university in China, hoping Noria will join her. Meanwhile, Noria's friend Sanja, a young woman with an extraordinary talent for fixing broken junk recovered from ancient landfills, recovers what she fails to recognize as a CD player. In the same landfill, Noria finds a disk, which they are able to play and whose contents hint at an extraordinary and dangerous secret. After her father dies, Noria makes plans to learn the truth.Itäranta's fine debut is lyrically rendered, vivid and engaging despite a bit too much philosophy and a less-than-satisfying ending.

Kirkus Reviews