The Solace of Water

Award-winning author Elizabeth Byler Younts delivers a powerful novel of grief, friendship, and forgiveness filled with her signature lyricism and emotional depth.

"Younts's powerful novel reverberates with love that crosses religious and racial boundaries to find the humanity that connects us all. Highly recommended." --Library Journal starred review

In the turbulent 1950s, Delilah Evans leaves behind her son's grave in Alabama, hoping for a fresh start in her husband's Pennsylvania hometown. Instead, she finds herself drowning in sorrow and guilt--until an unlikely friendship blossoms with her reclusive Amish neighbor, Emma Mullet, who harbors secrets of her own. Meanwhile, Delilah's daughter, Sparrow, struggles under the weight of her mother's grief, finding solace in Emma's home even as she hides devastating secrets of her own.

With the white, Black, and Amish communities of Sinking Creek at their most divided, there seems to be little hope for reconciliation. But long-buried hurts have their way of surfacing, and Delilah and Emma find themselves facing their own self-deceptions. Together they must learn how to face the future through the healing power of forgiveness.

"Younts has set herself apart with this exquisite story of friendship and redemption . . . I'll be talking about this book for years to come." --Rachel Hauck, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress

Set against the racial, cultural, and religious divides of small-town Pennsylvania, The Solace of Water is a moving portrait of loss, reconciliation, and the fragile beauty of human connection. This standalone historical novel includes discussion questions, making it a meaningful choice for book clubs and a memorable gift for readers of literary, hope-filled fiction.