Danny Ivy is a New Jersey car salesman, a suburban kid raised by an alcoholic mother and a loving but meek father, bullied and beaten until numb to surface pain. But a deeper ache grows, a despairing search for a reason to endure a world that seems arbitrary and cruel. Danny feels himself pushed nearer the breaking point, and dreads what crossing that line may cost.
Enter Mordecai Bass, an itinerant salesman wreathed in mystery thick as his Southern drawl. He’s spent years running from a dark family history he realizes he cannot escape -- and a hereditary power he’s terrified to embrace, knowing he’s not ready for it and fearful of the harm he could do.
Together they travel to Cai’s home of Covenant Spring, deep in the swamp woods of North Carolina, for the remarkable Bass family’s annual reunion. But Danny soon realizes he’s more than a casual guest. The power of ‘the water’ that Cai both dreads and that has called him home also runs through Danny.
As he plumbs the water’s depths, Danny will cross from sanity into madness, forced to believe the impossible to save not only his own life, but also protect the young son of Cai’s luminous twin sister, CeeCee, the woman he’s unexpectedly come to love, and whose power may be greater than even her brother’s.
One of the most unique stories I have ever read. I was astonished at how this book affected me. The beautiful language, the rock solid cast of characters, and the context in which the story takes place had me spellbound from the very beginning. Covenant Spring reads like a classic Southern Novel at times, and I was so delighted when I found myself thinking of William Faulkner or Flannery O'Connor. At the same time, the family dynamics that exists behind some of the scenes had me reflecting on Eugene O'Neill. I say this only to point out the power of this story, and not in any way to suggest that this amazing tale does not stand completely on its own. It is indeed a testament to good storytelling, and most importantly validates in the most profound way the absolute power of compassion and forgiveness. Covenant Spring is a true gem and I'm so grateful I stumbled upon it this past year. It's wonderful.
I have no idea how much of this story actually happened, but I do know it is true.
It doesn’t take many pages before you realize this story is going to take you on a wonderful journey. The richness of the character development invites the reader into an intimacy that is both a gift and a burden because we become so entwined in their challenges, their struggles, and their triumphs.
I quickly allowed myself to be immersed in the story and the pages flew by. I can only hope this book makes the leap to the big screen. The last time I had this same hope was after reading Deliverance.
Christopher Watson is a gifted storyteller and I am already looking forward to his next book. What a gift…
Brilliant Descriptive Writing. Christopher Watson masterfully tells an engaging story using descriptive language (at times with a Cormac McCarthy-like seaminess and at others with the serenity of an Impressionist master) that immerses the reader in another world. Watson puts a believable face on the human themes we all know, instantly adding credence to the characters and story. Pour some good coffee—it's a gripping novel you won't want to put down.
Let the story wash over you. What IS this book? What is it about? What is it saying?
It's saying a lot, that's what. There are many themes here, entwining and supporting and sometimes wrestling each other. Love, loss, quest, salvation, family, redemption. I've left out some. I've left out a lot. Each re-reading is just a slight bit different - and deeper - than the one before.
The first chapters are a little slow, but they are crucial to understanding Danny and Cai. Persevere and you'll find yourself reading differently, easily instead of fussily. It's almost a trance-book as the words spill over you. The sound of the words, their rhythm pulls you. The words roll in your head, even long after you've set the book down. The words are like the water, giving, taking, always moving, washing over you: "Should the sun explode and the world burn to ashes, I will be what she sees in me. I will do the work of love for her, and every kiss will be a prayer of thanks."
Great character study with many layers. Part Faulkner, part Vonnegut. Every now again a story comes along that really doesn't want to fit into a tidy 2 or 3 line synopsis. Probably hard to sell books like that. The reader that decides to give this one a try will be much rewarded with the time spent. True character exposition in books just doesn't seem to happen all that often but this author knows his land, knows his people, and how they think. Many, many details that result in mental pictures coming easily and pacing that at times makes you think you're reading a Grisham novel. A great story about people and where they come from affecting who they are...or not.
There's power in the water. This multi-layered tale from Mr. Watson will take you from the city all the way into the deep woods of NC; thick, wooded areas between the corn and tobacco fields where a family has a hidden legacy, and whose ancient patriarch in a secluded cabin holds the key to primal forces welling up from the deep places in the earth. Watson's well-developed characters and rich details bring it all to life, including Danny's fascinating journey (both physical and mental) from his somewhat mundane existence as a car salesman to something much more. Something simultaneously terrifying and yet achingly beautiful. There's power in the water, and much enjoyment in this read!
An enchanting soul stirring book. It reaches deep into the very essence of a very small community of relations in Covenant Spring, as well as Danny, or Mister Danny, the protagonist. Danny's life takes a life changing trip with a new work mate at the car dealership where he makes his living.
There's a whole lot of self-reflection and wonderment throughout the entire book. Place and family are a large part of this book and where it takes Danny. This is a book that very much resonated with me in this time of my life. Not just family, but it's communing with the nature around them.
Covenant Spring, though tucked away in its own tiny part of the world, is where legends are made and lives changed forever.
A profound journey into ourselves. To read Covenant Spring by Christopher Watson is to be transported not just to another place and time, but to a world that is both strange and familiar. Astute readers may recognize it as a world deep within ourselves, the one so many lack the courage to explore. If you are one of the braver ones, then start reading. You won’t want to stop until you reach the end and once you do, you might find yourself wondering where you’ve been. It’s that intense a trip.
Despite its unique plot, Covenant Spring is close to being literary fiction as we explore the convoluted, unbridled thoughts of the protagonist narrator, Danny Ivy. Danny’s musings call to mind the old hit song, “Is that all there is?” His career, his experiences, and his relationship with his parents and few friends have left him jaded. He’s desperately in need of a reason to go on. Enter Mordecai Bass who takes him to his swampland origins for a weekend family reunion. What Danny sees, hears, and experiences there strains both his and the reader’s belief. When the weekend is over, Danny is forever changed, and depending on the reader’s ability to identify with much of Danny’s thinking, so is the reader.
To enter the world of Covenant Spring, its characters and its plot is almost a mystical, even poetic experience. Watson’s descriptions are rich and metaphorical; his characters are simultaneously earthly and ethereal. How can that be? There is no easy explanation for how Watson has achieved this magical blend of the real and unreal other than to say he is a brilliant writer. No review can capture the full essence and impact of Covenant Spring as that will truly be unique to each of us.
Pick up your copy now and enter the embrace of Covenant Spring: a profound journey into ourselves.
