Water from My Heart : A Novel (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a fiction author who not only consistently writes great novels but ones that engage both your heart and mind equally, you should consider Jacksonville, FL writer Charles Martin. I live in the same city but never knew of him until about 10 years ago when a friend handed me her copy of his 2004 novel, The Dead Don't Dance. I was bemoaning the fact that fiction had never really connected with me. I spent most of my time reading non-fiction in order to learn something. She assured me I would enjoy it. I trusted her opinion and started reading while telling myself, “Gory title. Probably won't like it.” A few short days later I realized how happily wrong I was because this is the book that introduced me to the “reading solely for joy and pleasure” path – a place most of my friends frequented. Now I could experience it while also fulfilling my need to learn. Water from my Heart, released May, 2015, is Martin's 11th novel. Like his first books and subsequent ones I've read, I continue to feel characters' challenges and discover how their experiences, decisions and consequences sometimes metaphorically reflect areas in my own life. Somehow, these lessons also translate into personal reflection. Not a bad thing, considering my previous opinion of fiction was that it was pretty much a frivolous use of time. I pre-ordered the book from Amazon, then I had to “forget” it so I would be surprised when it arrived. Two particular aspects of Martin's writing mean the most to me. First, I never drown in a cast of too many characters. There are enough to carry the story and it's easy to figure out who's who most of the time – and when it's more challenging it's because Martin uses the surprise factor. Second, I love the similes and metaphors he uses because they always fine-tune the focus in a creative way. In Water from my Heart, we have the main character Charlie Finn whose whole life consisted his abilities to outsmart and survive in several different – and sometimes dangerous - arenas of life. He's tasted power, wielded it and been pleased with his results without consideration or care about any ripple effects on others. While not all of the characters in the book, two contrasting groups include: his uber wealthy employer Colin - with legitimate and illegitimate revenue streams - wife and two children and as well as a Nicaraguan family – mom, daughter and uncle who end up absorbing Charlie into their lives with emotional results on both ends of the spectrum. Of course there is more but I won't spoil it for you since each event contributes to the tightly woven story fabric filled with life messages, metaphor and first person internal dialogue punctuated with slam-dunk statements. Specifically, in one retrospective section, Charlie thinks about how he ended up where he did in life. “…Not the result of much thought or planning….”, he talks about taking the path of “that looks interesting” or “why not” or “wonder where that goes.” He goes on to recount the things he had NOT done and considers how this passivity described him. “The effect of my life had been to multiply evil, not fight it. Not eradicate it.” Then Charlie goes on to define himself in one word: indifferent. Here's where I look back over my life and consider some of my own lack of thought or planning – even indifference – not that I want to broadcast that to the world. Perhaps now you can see what I mean about “learning something” through Martin's work. Not only are his descriptions of people and circumstances visual but they're also 3D in nature. For example, in Chapter 15, Charlie reflects on his life and describes it as a “war-torn landscape” where he refers to using his adept Poker skills to get what he wanted. “No matter what you lost, it can be won back, and double, at the next deal. Nothing is ever truly lost forever. Problem is, people are not cards or the chips we bet with. Neither are the relationships we share across green-felted tables and smoke-filled rooms.” Another example, in the same chapter, shows us Charlie as he finds himself in an unexpected situation in Nicaragua. “We walked along rows and were soon joined by other men, silently stepping through the night. Each carried a machete with the same ease that men carry umbrellas on Fifth Avenue.” Water from my Heart is a story that merits every minute it takes to read. If you'd like some background on Martin's inspiration for it, you can read about it at http://charlesmartinbooks.com/books/water_from_my_heart Then you should get your own copy!