One City, One Story Selection: Gardens of Water, by Alan Drew

The One City, One Story novel for Pasadena is Gardens of Water, by Alan Drew. I read it first last year as we were considering it for the book of the year. Now, I am listening to it again to refresh my memory. It is a different experience reading and listening. One enhances the other. The words take on a different meaning when spoken aloud. At times, it is like poetry…

This is a compelling story that takes place within the backdrop of a devastating earthquake, not unlike Haiti. His descriptions of the devastation ring true as we have witnessed on our televisions every night for two weeks now. It brings it all home. The conflicts are real: generational differences, Christian/Muslim differences, lives in two different worlds, different cultures. I am drawn in again, as I was last year. It is the story of Irem and Dylan, two lovers torn between family and culture. But it is also the story of Sinan and Marcus as they struggle to understand their differences and each other. Join us: http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/library/ocos/

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