Infinite Books

Louisa Rader, a protagonist of “The Hundred Waters” by Lauren Acampora, cuts a striking figure. A former model, photographer, tall, in her Louboutins and her Dior little black dress, she looks slightly out of place at the effluent Connecticut town’s party. Now, a bit bored, she runs a gallery in her hometown Nearwater. “Comfort is the only goal in this town – the kind of bland, coddling comfort meant for children. Grown people need friction to live.” Interestingly, her husband, Richard, an acclaimed older architect, has an entirely different view of this town: he loves it, the old houses, the discrete charm, and the lack of commercial billboards. Louise and Richard have a daughter, Sylvie, a twelve-year-old starting her adolescent searches and trying to accept the death of her friend. Even with their problems, they look like a perfect family.

But there are clouds on the horizon. A new family moves in, with a charismatic 18-year-old son Gabriel. Contrary to Louisa and Sylvie, Gabriel knows precisely who he is – an artist. Through art, he wants to change the world because he’s deeply concerned about the future of our planet, the fate of humans and animals, and the devastation of the environment. Half-secretly, he involves Sylvie in making art installations and happenings, culminating in a shocking presentation at the Nearwater art center.

All the topics in this novel – art, environmental issues, parenting – are close to my heart, yet I had problems accepting how Lauren Acampora tackles the issues. Gabriel is an artist – the artist – and Louisa, together with her daughter (although they don’t know they are involved with the same man/boy), are just willing helpers in Gabriel’s vision. There is a hope that later they could become artists or activists themselves, but it’s Gabriel who leaves the town – not to run away from the consequences of his most dangerous act but to conquer the world, starting with New York City. Overall, I was left with disappointment pondering over this female inferiority to feed a male’s artistic vision. Louisa and Sylvie are intriguing and curious, while Gabriel is a bit two-dimensional and full of slogans, yet the women are his followers.

It will be interesting to read this author’s next novel – she has a gift for describing suburban life. And indeed, in her book, Nearwater is not the American dream.

THE HUNDRED WATERS, by Lauren Acampora, Grove Atlantic, 2022