Water Memory

A Novel

Fiction - Literary
292 Pages
Reviewed on 05/17/2023
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Author Biography

Strelich was born into a family of professional wrestlers and raised in Bakersfield, California, and his writing career began on a dare from a theatre director. His plays include BAFO (Best and Final Offer) which was commissioned by and had its world premiere at South Coast Repertory and its New York premiere at the American Place Theatre (APT); Dog Logic, which also had its world premiere at South Coast Repertory and went on to win a Kennedy Center Fund For New American Plays award for its New York premiere at the APT; and Neon Psalms, which won the Dramatists Guild/CBS New Play Award for its world premiere at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco and its New York premiere at the APT. Honors include a National Endowment for the Arts grant for playwrights and commissions from South Coast Repertory and the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Strelich has one screen credit, Out There (Showtime). His novels include, Dog Logic (loosely based on the play -- same setting, same characters, epically different story) and Water Memory (Dog Logic sequel).

    Book Review

Reviewed by Amy Raines for Readers' Favorite

In Water Memory by Tom Strelich, Hertell noticed that there were a growing number of people becoming forgetful. They were unable to answer questions about simple day-to-day things that should have generated an automatic response. The magnetic compasses that pointed in the opposite direction were evidence of a polar shift that no one had seemed to notice. Others were noticing that they were losing their longer-term memories as well. MRI scans showed that something had changed in their brains, but Hertell remembered everything because of the copper shards inside his brain from the gunshot he had suffered. He took on the responsibility of setting humans back on the right path. Was the world ending for mankind, or is there something else waiting for people other than a mass extinction? Will Hertell be able to help the community of Mustard Seed, or will he be viewed as an insane scientist with bullet fragments in his brain?

Water Memory by Tom Strelich embraces the scientific concept that magnetic poles can reverse direction, which gives this story a mild, yet enjoyable, science fiction feel. The community above and below ground suffered ill effects from the shift in polarity that prompted Hertell to help the people in the best way he knew how. I loved the suspense and the fear of the unknown as the characters followed Hertell’s instructions and headed out of their underground world. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery with layers of science fiction and suspense that will keep them reading to see what happens next.