> Skip to content

Book clubs  •  31 July 2018

 

The Water Cure book club notes

An eerie, dreamlike novel about love, violence and survival at any cost. Perfect for book club.

Imagine a world very close to our own: where women are not safe in their bodies, where desperate measures are required to raise a daughter. This is the story of Grace, Lia and Sky, kept apart from the world for their own good and taught the terrible things that every woman must learn about love. And it is the story of the men who come to find them – three strangers washed up by the sea, their gazes hungry and insistent, trailing desire and destruction in their wake. 
 

Discussion points and questions:
 

  • Grace, Lia and Sky spent their childhood undergoing the strange therapies invented by Mother and King, and yet their parents never let them complete the final therapy: the water cure itself. Why do you think Mother and King invented these rituals in the first place? And why do they not want their daughters to take the final cure?
  • The damaged women arrive on the island visibly unwell, weakened and desperate. But it’s never clear what has made them sick. What do you think is really going on in the outside world?
  • The sisters in the novel have all been raised by the same parents, in the same close-confined world and according to the same rules, and yet they turn out so different from each other. Why is this?
  • King is determined to manage his daughters’ feelings – apparently trying to flatten out their emotions entirely. Why would he want to do that?
  • When the men arrive on the island, Llew gravitates toward Lia very quickly. What is motivating him to pursue her?
  • The Water Cure examines the overlaps between love and violence in many kinds of relationships, both familial and romantic. Do you think it’s possible to love someone and to hurt them? Do any of the characters in the book truly love each other?
  • The novel ends on an ambiguous note – the sisters are on the move, in the middle of an escape attempt, their future uncertain. What do you think happens to them?
  • In their parting words to us, the sisters describe themselves as ‘new and shining women’. What does this mean? Did they benefit from their upbringing in the end? And does the end justify the means?

Feature Title

The Water Cure
A dreamlike and compulsive feminist dystopia for the #metoo generation
Read more

More features

See all
Book clubs
Others Were Emeralds book club questions

A stirring coming-of-age novel to read with your book club.

Book clubs
Faithless book club questions

A remarkable story about love, literature and family to read with your book club.

Book clubs
Abomination book club questions

Explore friendship, faith, family and identity with this compelling debut, perfect for book clubs.

Book clubs
Once There Were Wolves book club questions

These book club questions for Once There were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy will have your reading group deep in discussion.

Book clubs
The Coconut Children book club notes

An award-winning pick for your next book club meeting.

Book clubs
The Rabbits book club notes

A (Penguin Literary Prize) winning pick for book club.

Article
How one author separates himself from his legal background

Find out how author Richard McHugh wrote his new book The Cutting while working full-time as a barrister.

Q&A
Alice Nelson on the writing process, authors who inspire her and more

We spoke to author Alice Nelson about her new book, Faithless. Learn about her writing experience, how she found her voice, and her trust in readers.

Article
Did you know: Ottessa Moshfegh walked the runway, and 8 more fun facts

9 interesting facts about Ottessa Moshfegh, author of Lapvona.

News
The Yield wins Kate Challis RAKA 2021 Award

A huge congratulations to Wiradjuri writer Tara June Winch on her recent achievement.

Q&A
Charlotte McConaghy Q&A

'I want reading my novels to feel like walking through a forest or swimming in the ocean, to offer a breath of fresh air and remind readers of the beauty that still remains in the world.'

News
2021 Stella Prize winner announced

​We are thrilled to share The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld has won the 2021 Stella Prize!

Looking for more book club notes?

See all book club notes