A Best Book of January at O, The Oprah Magazine A Best Book of the Year at The Guardian , The Times (London), and The Irish Times “[Moss] writes beautifully about . . . souls in tumult, about people whose lives have not turned out the way they’d hoped . . . There’s little doubt, reading Moss, that you’re in the hands of a sophisticated and gifted writer.” ―Dwight Garner, The New York Times The acclaimed author of Ghost Wall offers a new, devastating, masterful novel of subtle menace. They rarely speak to one another, but they do take notice―watching from the safety of the park’s rented cabins, peering into the half-lit drizzle of a Scottish summer day, forming judgments based on what little they know of their temporary neighbors. It is the longest day of the year, and as the hours pass nearly imperceptibly, twelve people shift from being strangers, to bystanders, to allies―their idle curiosity sparked into action as tragedy sneaks into their lives. At daylight, a mother races up the mountain, fleeing into her precious hour of solitude. A retired man studies her return as he reminisces about the park’s better days. A young woman, weary of her attentive boyfriend, distracts herself with speculation about their neighbor’s politics. Alone in a kayak on the dark waters of the loch, a teenage boy escapes the infuriating scrutiny of his family. This cascade of perspectives runs through the community as each inhabitant begins to focus on one particular family that doesn’t belong. Nightfall brings an irrevocable turn. From Sarah Moss, the acclaimed author of Ghost Wall ―a “riveting” (Alyson Hagy, The New York Times Book Review ), “sharp tale of suspense” (Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker )― Summerwater is a devastating, masterful novel of subtle menace, a searing exploration of our capacity for kinship and cruelty, and a gorgeous evocation of the natural world as it changes around us, bearing constant witness to our choices. A Best Book of the Year at NPR, The Guardian , The Times (London), and The Irish Times A Best Book of January: O Magazine A Most Anticipated Book of 2021: Paperback Paris Most Anticipated at The Guardian , The Sunday Times , Cosmopolitan , Good Housekeeping , The Irish Times , Stylist , and iNews “[Moss] writes beautifully about... souls in tumult, about people whose lives have not turned out the way they’d hoped. . .There’s little doubt, reading Moss, that you’re in the hands of a sophisticated and gifted writer." ―Dwight Garner, The New York Times "Cunning and contemplative." ― O Magazine “Pulsing, glorious… What makes Moss's work so distinctive: the lovely countermelodies of earth, animal, and sky that contextualize human dramas.” ―Annalisa Quinn, NPR “Sarah Moss has an uncanny ability to prickle the reader’s skin. . .The novel’s explosive conclusion feels like witnessing swamp gas bubbling to the surface and catching fire.” ―Lorraine Berry, The Boston Globe "The chapters build a superb sense of foreboding... Ms. Moss is masterly with loomings and premonitions." ― Wall Street Journal "The final paragraph of Summerwater is one of the most chilling in recent memory, pointing to the devastating consequences of bigotry and hatred, and to the undeniable mastery of Moss’s storytelling." ― The Chicago Review of Books “Sharp, searching, thoroughly imagined, Summerwater is utterly of the moment, placing its anxious human dots against a vast, indifferent landscape; with its wit and verve and beautiful organization, it throws much contemporary writing into the shade!” ―Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror & the Light “A rich parade of inner lives . . . [A] thoughtful investigation into community and difference.” ― The Guardian “This broodingly suspenseful and engagingly intimate novel is a miniature portrait of family life in various forms, of old age and childhood, framed by wild nature, which becomes a character in itself . . . With consummate skill, the author reveals the inner lives of a handful of characters, their meditations by turns intensely moving and laconically humorous . . . while conjuring up both landscape and atmosphere with lyrical delicacy.” ― Kirkus , starred review "Will leave you breathless." ― Good Housekeeping , The Best Books to Read in 2021 So Far “The natural world is a dominant force in this absorbing novel . . . Moss’s insight into her characters’ inner lives is among the many strengths of Summerwater . . . For more than a decade, Sarah Moss has been crafting quiet, complex novels that make an indelible impression on the reader. This is one of her best, and most accessible, and should bring her work to a wider audience.” ―John Boyne, Irish Times “Nothing escapes Sarah Moss’s sly humor and brilliant touch. Deft and brimming with life, Summerwater is a novel of endless depth. A masterpiece.” ―Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist “Building up a sense of dread in a novel is a subt