Wild Water by Jan Ruth: Review

Wild Water by Jan Ruth is my first ever review request from an author so I was slightly apprehensive as to whether it would be my cup of tea.I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and again managed to read the book in one sitting. 

Star Rating

Wild Water tells the story of Jack, a property manager, whose life very quickly begins to unravel as he watches everything collapse around him, including his marriage to his wife of 25 years, Patsy. At the same time, Jack becomes reacquainted with his childhood sweetheart Anna and, as old flames rise, Jack finds himself in a life changing situation that affects everyone around him.

This book is expertly written and very character driven; having read the first few chapters I felt I knew the characters really well and could empathise with Jack completely. I liked that the novel had been written mainly from Jack's point of view as this broke away from the norm of women's fiction and brought a very different perspective to the story. It was very interesting to read a story about adultery, betrayal and divorce with a male protagonist and I found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with his actions. 

Jan Ruth's characters are real and full of emotion and I was particularly fond of Jack's young daughter Lottie who brought many humorous touches to the story. It was heart breaking to see the effect a parent's actions can have on their children as Jan Ruth explains, "One adult's failing can be like ripples on water."

The only thing I would say (and I know you shouldn't be sucked in by an image) is that the front cover does not do this story justice. It doesn't hold much relevance to the content of the story as it makes me think of horror/mystery and ghosts. But hey, maybe that's just me!

I am super glad I decided to review this book and will definitely be reading more of Jan Ruth's stories.