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The Water Diviner and Other Stories
In this thought-provoking collection, Sri Lankan immigrants grapple with events that challenge perspectives and alter lives. A volunteer faces memories of wartime violence when she meets a cantankerous old lady on a Meals on Wheels route. A lonely widow obsessed with an impending apocalypse meets an oddly inspiring man. A maidservant challenges class divisions when she becomes an American professor's wife. An angry tenant fights suspicion when her landlord is burgled. Hardened inmates challenge a young jail psychiatrist's competence. A father wonders whether to expose his young son's bully at a basketball game. A student facing poverty courts a benefactor. And in the depths of an isolated Wyoming winter, a woman tries to resist a con artist. These and other tales explore the immigrant experience with a piercing authenticity.
- GenresShort Stories
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 29, 2018
Yet another case of me absolutely loving a short story collection.
First of all, because the book lacks a proper summary, here it is, from NetGalley:
"In this thought-provoking collection, Sri Lankan immigrants grapple with events that challenge perspectives and alter lives. A volunteer faces memories of wartime violence when she meets a cantankerous old lady on a Meals on Wheels route. A lonely widow obsessed with an impending apocalypse meets an oddly inspiring man. A maidservant challenges class divisions when she becomes an American professor’s wife. An angry tenant fights suspicion when her landlord is burgled. Hardened inmates challenge a young jail psychiatrist’s competence. A father wonders whether to expose his young son’s bully at a basketball game. A student facing poverty courts a benefactor. And in the depths of an isolated Wyoming winter, a woman tries to resist a con artist. These and other tales explore the immigrant experience with a piercing authenticity. "
Everything that this summary promises, you will get. The stories are thought provoking, and, for someone who didn't know zilch about Sri Lankan culture (that someone isn't proud of that fact, but it had to be mentioned), VERY educational. I absolutely adored every single bit of information I got from the stories, it definitely put some things into perspective for me. Like I said: thought provoking. The stories deal with racism, sexism, mental illness, all that good stuff that won't leave your head after reading. Not only that, of course, but these subjects are tackled masterfully and carefully woven into the stories so that nothing feels preachy.
There are many stories in the collection, and the single reason why my rating is 4 and not 5 stars is because some of the stories were rather anticlimactic. For example, I rather liked "The Fellowship", but it ended very suddenly and left me wanting more. Same went for "Leisure" as well.
My favourite stories were the titular "The Water Diviner" (I really love stories about hope and despair), "Beauty Queen" (also, I love stories about envy), and "The Rat Tree" (the descriptions were incredibly vivid in this one, I could picture everything that was happening and put myself in Rashmini's position easily). "A Burglary on Quarry Lane" and "Security" were also highlights.
I really think that you should give this wonderful short story collection a try. You won't regret it.
**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book**
First of all, because the book lacks a proper summary, here it is, from NetGalley:
"In this thought-provoking collection, Sri Lankan immigrants grapple with events that challenge perspectives and alter lives. A volunteer faces memories of wartime violence when she meets a cantankerous old lady on a Meals on Wheels route. A lonely widow obsessed with an impending apocalypse meets an oddly inspiring man. A maidservant challenges class divisions when she becomes an American professor’s wife. An angry tenant fights suspicion when her landlord is burgled. Hardened inmates challenge a young jail psychiatrist’s competence. A father wonders whether to expose his young son’s bully at a basketball game. A student facing poverty courts a benefactor. And in the depths of an isolated Wyoming winter, a woman tries to resist a con artist. These and other tales explore the immigrant experience with a piercing authenticity. "
Everything that this summary promises, you will get. The stories are thought provoking, and, for someone who didn't know zilch about Sri Lankan culture (that someone isn't proud of that fact, but it had to be mentioned), VERY educational. I absolutely adored every single bit of information I got from the stories, it definitely put some things into perspective for me. Like I said: thought provoking. The stories deal with racism, sexism, mental illness, all that good stuff that won't leave your head after reading. Not only that, of course, but these subjects are tackled masterfully and carefully woven into the stories so that nothing feels preachy.
There are many stories in the collection, and the single reason why my rating is 4 and not 5 stars is because some of the stories were rather anticlimactic. For example, I rather liked "The Fellowship", but it ended very suddenly and left me wanting more. Same went for "Leisure" as well.
My favourite stories were the titular "The Water Diviner" (I really love stories about hope and despair), "Beauty Queen" (also, I love stories about envy), and "The Rat Tree" (the descriptions were incredibly vivid in this one, I could picture everything that was happening and put myself in Rashmini's position easily). "A Burglary on Quarry Lane" and "Security" were also highlights.
I really think that you should give this wonderful short story collection a try. You won't regret it.
**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book**
June 11, 2018
Good stories. Well-written and really interesting. A bit depressing, though. Not a light holiday read for sure. But paints a vivid portrait of Sri Lanka and that's a definite value here.
Makes a fantastic research material.
I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Makes a fantastic research material.
I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
October 10, 2018
This was an interesting collection of short stories. I usually tend to avoid short stories but i was caught by the title and i thought the subject interesting and it actually hit home.
The stories are about many persons of one particular community living abroad and the different experiences and situations they encounter. I came across many books about different countries of the Indian subcontinent, but so far never about Sri Lanka, so these short stories introduced me to a new landscape, traditions and people.
The other thing that attracted me is that i share a similar experience, i am also living abroad, so many situation actually happened to me in one variation or another or to other friends, and i found it interesting.
Now, about the stories, mostly i liked them. They were like captions of a particular moment in the life of the protagonists, sometimes we know what happened before and can imagine what will come and in other cases we just live with the character in that particular moment and then we leave him there and proceed to the other story. Some stories were more elaborated, spanning through years but always in the same style of catching a moment and then hopping on to the next. I found this to be very entertaining and interesting.
Some were more touching than others but in general they held my attention. Other stories i didn't enjoy, they felt incomplete, as if the story just stopped in the middle of a scene and didn't exactly make sense. This is not related to the length of the story, some of the shortest are actually the most touching; but in other cases, even if it is relatively longer, i still have the feeling that something was missing in it.
In general, i found this collection to be an interesting read and i was glad to read it.
Thank you NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for this free copy in exchange of an honest review.
The stories are about many persons of one particular community living abroad and the different experiences and situations they encounter. I came across many books about different countries of the Indian subcontinent, but so far never about Sri Lanka, so these short stories introduced me to a new landscape, traditions and people.
The other thing that attracted me is that i share a similar experience, i am also living abroad, so many situation actually happened to me in one variation or another or to other friends, and i found it interesting.
Now, about the stories, mostly i liked them. They were like captions of a particular moment in the life of the protagonists, sometimes we know what happened before and can imagine what will come and in other cases we just live with the character in that particular moment and then we leave him there and proceed to the other story. Some stories were more elaborated, spanning through years but always in the same style of catching a moment and then hopping on to the next. I found this to be very entertaining and interesting.
Some were more touching than others but in general they held my attention. Other stories i didn't enjoy, they felt incomplete, as if the story just stopped in the middle of a scene and didn't exactly make sense. This is not related to the length of the story, some of the shortest are actually the most touching; but in other cases, even if it is relatively longer, i still have the feeling that something was missing in it.
In general, i found this collection to be an interesting read and i was glad to read it.
Thank you NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for this free copy in exchange of an honest review.
November 3, 2018
I read this book free and early thanks to Net Galley and University of Iowa Press. This distinctive collection is for sale now.
All told there are fifteen stories, all of them featuring Sinhalese Sri Lankans, most of them expatriates that have moved to the United States. Before commencing I knew very little about the culture of this small island country, apart from its having been colonized by Britain earlier in its history. I still know very little, but this collection is an approachable way to introduce oneself, in addition to being well crafted fiction.
Several of the stories are dark, dealing with the racism and ignorance with which immigrants are often greeted. The angriest of the stories is “A Burglary On Quarry,” in which a student is accused of burglary by her well-to-do, bigoted landlord who doesn’t want to face the obvious perpetrator: her own son. It reads like a manifesto, and it makes me want to pump my fist and yell, “Tell it!”
This, however, is something none of the characters in these stories would do, apart from the privileged Caucasian American in “Accident.” David nearly comes to great harm while visiting his new wife’s homeland, largely due to his own obliviousness; it hasn’t occurred to him that he himself might be deemed unacceptable for his race and nation of origin, having lived all of his life as an affluent member of the dominant culture. He is from Texas, and he’s drunk, and he doesn’t even try to understand discretion or subtext. As his wife’s neighbors ogle him suspiciously and the police consider that he may have caused an auto accident for which he is not responsible, he continues to assure his wife—in English—that everything is just fine. He says nothing quietly, ever, and it takes a political connection on the part of his wife’s relatives to extricate him from the hard place he doesn’t know he’s in.
Other entries are also bittersweet, and “Sonny’s Last Game” stands out as one of these. However, “Leisure” literally made me laugh out loud. Well, guffaw, actually: “Cutex! Who does she think she is!”
The last entry, “Hello My Dear”, is both funny and bittersweet, as Prema is faced with the question of whether an email from a stranger is a scam or the real deal.
I enjoyed this collection tremendously and would read Vilhauer again in a heartbeat.
All told there are fifteen stories, all of them featuring Sinhalese Sri Lankans, most of them expatriates that have moved to the United States. Before commencing I knew very little about the culture of this small island country, apart from its having been colonized by Britain earlier in its history. I still know very little, but this collection is an approachable way to introduce oneself, in addition to being well crafted fiction.
Several of the stories are dark, dealing with the racism and ignorance with which immigrants are often greeted. The angriest of the stories is “A Burglary On Quarry,” in which a student is accused of burglary by her well-to-do, bigoted landlord who doesn’t want to face the obvious perpetrator: her own son. It reads like a manifesto, and it makes me want to pump my fist and yell, “Tell it!”
This, however, is something none of the characters in these stories would do, apart from the privileged Caucasian American in “Accident.” David nearly comes to great harm while visiting his new wife’s homeland, largely due to his own obliviousness; it hasn’t occurred to him that he himself might be deemed unacceptable for his race and nation of origin, having lived all of his life as an affluent member of the dominant culture. He is from Texas, and he’s drunk, and he doesn’t even try to understand discretion or subtext. As his wife’s neighbors ogle him suspiciously and the police consider that he may have caused an auto accident for which he is not responsible, he continues to assure his wife—in English—that everything is just fine. He says nothing quietly, ever, and it takes a political connection on the part of his wife’s relatives to extricate him from the hard place he doesn’t know he’s in.
Other entries are also bittersweet, and “Sonny’s Last Game” stands out as one of these. However, “Leisure” literally made me laugh out loud. Well, guffaw, actually: “Cutex! Who does she think she is!”
The last entry, “Hello My Dear”, is both funny and bittersweet, as Prema is faced with the question of whether an email from a stranger is a scam or the real deal.
I enjoyed this collection tremendously and would read Vilhauer again in a heartbeat.
December 10, 2018
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read another book published by the University of Iowa Press. I love sharing good things happening in our state and even though this author isn't from Iowa, her book THE WATER DIVINER AND OTHER STORIES won the 2018 Iowa Short Fiction Award. That immediately intrigued me and then when I realized all the stories were about people from Sri Lanka I was even more interested. I have to admit that I wasn't exactly sure where Sri Lanka was until I looked it up. It's a small country/island southeast of India. I don't know much about that country except when I look at a map, it is full of cities and makes me think that there are lots of people in a small space and likely a lot of poverty. The fifteen stories in this collection feature Sri Lankan immigrants. Each of them come from different backgrounds and ages, but their stories seem to have a running theme, there is a decision to be made that can affect someone's life forever. Some of the situations are quite depressing yet others may inspire you or even make you laugh. But, one thing they all do is leave you hanging. That's the beauty of these short stories. Each one leaves you wanting to know more.
Many of the characters in these stories are from Columbo, the Capital. The title story, "The Water Diviner" features a widow who has moved to the United States from Columbo to be with her daughter. She is fixated on watching a TV show with an evangelizing preacher who is claiming the final days are here. When the end of days begins to get closer, Kusuma realizes maybe she has been missing out and it wouldn't be so bad if the end didn't come. Another story shows that in the Sri Lankan culture it is very difficult to cross class divisions when a former Sri Lankan maid marries an American professor and she is considered equal to people she formerly waited on. My favorite was "The Rat Tree" that shared the story of a young woman who worked as a prison counselor. She had to choose whether to walk under the rat tree and risk having a rat fall on you or take the longer route around the outdoor area and be catcalled by all the prisoners. It was inspiring to see the way this counselor came out of her shell during her time at the prison.
In all of these stories, the author immerses you in the character. The stories are short so you don't have a lot of time to get to know someone and their "why" for doing something, but Ruvanee has the skill of placing the reader in the setting and taking us along for the ride. Since the stories do not connect, you can certainly read a story or two and then come back later and pick up another one. I am a bit more knowledgeable about Sri Lanka now and reading these stories have caused me to do some more research on the country's history. The Iowa Short Fiction Award is offered to a writer who hasn't yet published a book of fiction. The prize is a book contract and I'm pleased to say that the author has a book set to be published this next June, THE MASK COLLECTORS. This too has a Sri Lankan connection.
If you are looking for a book to get you out of your box of typical reading material, I suggest giving THE WATER DIVINER AND OTHER STORIES a try. The love, devotion, shame, and frustration each of these characters feel will leave the reader with a new understanding of the immigrant's life in the United States.
Many of the characters in these stories are from Columbo, the Capital. The title story, "The Water Diviner" features a widow who has moved to the United States from Columbo to be with her daughter. She is fixated on watching a TV show with an evangelizing preacher who is claiming the final days are here. When the end of days begins to get closer, Kusuma realizes maybe she has been missing out and it wouldn't be so bad if the end didn't come. Another story shows that in the Sri Lankan culture it is very difficult to cross class divisions when a former Sri Lankan maid marries an American professor and she is considered equal to people she formerly waited on. My favorite was "The Rat Tree" that shared the story of a young woman who worked as a prison counselor. She had to choose whether to walk under the rat tree and risk having a rat fall on you or take the longer route around the outdoor area and be catcalled by all the prisoners. It was inspiring to see the way this counselor came out of her shell during her time at the prison.
In all of these stories, the author immerses you in the character. The stories are short so you don't have a lot of time to get to know someone and their "why" for doing something, but Ruvanee has the skill of placing the reader in the setting and taking us along for the ride. Since the stories do not connect, you can certainly read a story or two and then come back later and pick up another one. I am a bit more knowledgeable about Sri Lanka now and reading these stories have caused me to do some more research on the country's history. The Iowa Short Fiction Award is offered to a writer who hasn't yet published a book of fiction. The prize is a book contract and I'm pleased to say that the author has a book set to be published this next June, THE MASK COLLECTORS. This too has a Sri Lankan connection.
If you are looking for a book to get you out of your box of typical reading material, I suggest giving THE WATER DIVINER AND OTHER STORIES a try. The love, devotion, shame, and frustration each of these characters feel will leave the reader with a new understanding of the immigrant's life in the United States.
November 3, 2018
Interesting and varied collection of short stories. Admittedly, my knowledge of Sri Lankan culture is very limited so this was quite an eye opener of sorts for me, and very enjoyable.
Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work on the back of this.
With thanks to Netgalley and Iowa University Press for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.
Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work on the back of this.
With thanks to Netgalley and Iowa University Press for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.
September 28, 2019
A very enjoyable read. Ruvanee Vilhauer has a gift for developing characters and insight into cultural conflicts experienced by Sri-Lankan migrants. Written in an easy reading style. She tackles some interesting issues which could generally apply to migrants. Looking forward to reading her next book the Mask Collectors.
November 6, 2018
Beautifully written. I was totally drawn in. I feel I know each of the characters intimately. Can't wait for Ms. Vilhauer's next book!
August 5, 2021
How did I miss this 2018 Iowa Short Fiction Award winner by my friend Ruvanee Vilhauer? The stories in this collection are a wonder, excavating layers of concealment to reveal the rawness of a past that still smarts, the difficult negotiations required to navigate an ordinary life.
Ruvanee and I were in Nancy Zafris’s section at the 2012 Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. There, we wrote to prompts daily and assembled, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, each morning to discuss what we’d come up with. What Ruvanee came up with, I recall, were quiet, solidly-built explorations grounded in the ordinary, in contrast to my tattered ventriloquist’s suitcase of voices, my klugdy attempts to dramatize, with the stakes amped up high.
Not that the stakes weren’t high in those stories she workshopped each morning, just as they are in those in this marvelous collection. They explore the intersection between the quotidian and the sometimes harsh realities confronting immigrant Sri Lankans around issues of race, ethnicity, or social hierarchies. Around the violence from civil strife in the home country or from prejudice in the States. There are human dramas here as well, ones all people suffer—the loss of a loved one, the incursions of sickness and old age.
In this collection we find an astonishing range of human entanglements. A lonely widow neglects her life and is torn between prophesies of end times and an urge to reconnect. A boy faces bullying at school with a determination to tough it out and fit in. A Meals on Wheels volunteer’s fateful delivery brings her face to face with the terrible loss she and her family experienced during the internecine violence in Sri Lanka. A young woman and her best friend’s lives are upended by the prejudices surrounding skin color in their tight-knit Sri Lankan community. A literal-minded young woman on the spectrum carves out a life amid ambiguity through a love of butterflies.
With straight-forward language that rarely draws attention to itself, the invention and humanity of these quiet stories consistently astounds. { Cross-posted at my website. }
View all my reviews
Ruvanee and I were in Nancy Zafris’s section at the 2012 Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. There, we wrote to prompts daily and assembled, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, each morning to discuss what we’d come up with. What Ruvanee came up with, I recall, were quiet, solidly-built explorations grounded in the ordinary, in contrast to my tattered ventriloquist’s suitcase of voices, my klugdy attempts to dramatize, with the stakes amped up high.
Not that the stakes weren’t high in those stories she workshopped each morning, just as they are in those in this marvelous collection. They explore the intersection between the quotidian and the sometimes harsh realities confronting immigrant Sri Lankans around issues of race, ethnicity, or social hierarchies. Around the violence from civil strife in the home country or from prejudice in the States. There are human dramas here as well, ones all people suffer—the loss of a loved one, the incursions of sickness and old age.
In this collection we find an astonishing range of human entanglements. A lonely widow neglects her life and is torn between prophesies of end times and an urge to reconnect. A boy faces bullying at school with a determination to tough it out and fit in. A Meals on Wheels volunteer’s fateful delivery brings her face to face with the terrible loss she and her family experienced during the internecine violence in Sri Lanka. A young woman and her best friend’s lives are upended by the prejudices surrounding skin color in their tight-knit Sri Lankan community. A literal-minded young woman on the spectrum carves out a life amid ambiguity through a love of butterflies.
With straight-forward language that rarely draws attention to itself, the invention and humanity of these quiet stories consistently astounds. { Cross-posted at my website. }
View all my reviews
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