The Seduction of Water

November 11, 2002
An aspiring writer delves into the long-buried mystery of her novelist mother's death in this silky-smooth novel by the author of The Lake of Dead Languages. Water, from Iris Greenfeder's perspective, is the Hudson River. She has a view of it from her five-story walkup in New York City's westernmost Greenwich Village, and it shimmers in the distance from the Equinox, the Catskills hotel where Iris grew up. Her father, Ben, was the manager at the Equinox; her mother, Kay, a former maid, wrote two fantastical novels there. Driving the plot is the not-so-simple question: did Kay write a third novel, and is it hidden at the Equinox? Back at the hotel for the summer, Iris plans to write the story of her mother's life and search for the missing manuscript. As she attempts to solve the mystery, she is abetted and thwarted by a large cast of characters, including her mother's famous literary agent, the mega-millionaire owner of a hotel chain, the daughter of a famous suicidal poet, an all-knowing gardener and the delicious Aidan Barry, whom Iris meets while he's still in prison. The novel's first-person, present-tense narrative fosters intimacy, though it somewhat undercuts suspense. More effective is the use Goodman makes of the Irish myth of the selkie—half-seal, half-woman—as told by Iris's mother. Mystery, folklore, a thoroughly modern romance, a strong sense of place and a winning combination of erudition and accessibility make this second novel a treat. (Jan.)Forecast:This novel is tailor-made for book clubs, as Ballantine is well aware. It will later be issued as a Ballantine Reader's Circle trade paperback, and it should build handily on the success of
The Lake of Dead Languages.

September 1, 2002
Iris's short story about the death-by-fire of her mother, acclaimed novelist Katherine, attracts the attention of Katherine's agent, who is convinced that the mother left a manuscript lurking somewhere. Iris's hunt for the manuscript answers a lot of personal questions. From the author of The Lake of Dead Languages.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2002
Iris Greenfelder lives in New York City, but her roots are in a resort hotel in the Catskills, where she grew up as the only child of the hotel's managers. A struggling writer, Iris finally finds some success in re-telling the stories once told by her late author mother, the victim of a fire 30 years ago. Consequently, she decides to write a biography of her mother and returns to the hotel to work for a new management team while doing research and looking for a manuscript that her mother may have written before her death. The information that she uncovers is far from what she expected, however, and her digging upsets key people in her mother's past. With this exciting second book, coming close on the heels of The Lake of Dead Languages, Goodman establishes herself as a writer to watch in the field of literary thrillers. Sure to be in demand in most public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/02.]-Karen Traynor, Sullivan Free Lib., Chittenango, NY

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2003
Goodman's gripping follow-up to her debut, " The Lake of Dead Languages" (2002), is an entrancing story of a daughter hunting down the truth about her mother's death. Iris Greenfeder has fond memories of her mother, Katherine, especially the fairy tale her mother told her about the " selkie--"a part woman, part seal who was unhappily married to a farmer who stole her seal skin. Katherine was the author of two fantasy novels, and Iris learns from Katherine's former agent that her mother may have completed the third novel in the series. Determined to find it and write a memoir about her mother, Iris returns to the hotel where her parents worked, the Hotel Equinox in the Catskills. The failing hotel has been bought by famous hotelier Harry Kron, who is trying to make it profitable again and has invited back many of the former guests. As she talks to the guests who knew her parents, Iris begins to suspect her mother's death was not accidental. A completely involving mystery cleverly tied in with several fairy tales.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)