Because of the detailed and nuanced story, I thought I would first provide a list of characters, but I decided it was even easier to just give you the description in the Amazon blurb.
Rockwell “Rocky” Rhodes has spent years fiercely protecting his California ranch from the LA Water Corporation. It is here where he and his beloved wife Lou raised their twins, Sunny and Stryker, and it is here where Rocky has mourned Lou in the years since her death.
As Sunny and Stryker reach the cusp of adulthood, the country teeters on the brink of war. Stryker decides to join the fight, deploying to Pearl Harbor not long before the bombs strike. Soon, Rocky and his family find themselves facing yet another incomprehensible tragedy.
Rocky is determined to protect his remaining family and the land where they’ve loved and lost so much. But when the government decides to build a Japanese-American internment camp next to the ranch, Rocky realizes that the land faces even bigger threats than the LA watermen he’s battled for years. Complicating matters is the fact that the idealistic Department of the Interior man assigned to build the camp, who only begins to understand the horror of his task after it may be too late, becomes infatuated with Sunny and entangled with the Rhodes family.
As I said before, the writing makes the setting and characters come alive. While it is set during WWII, and the story is affected by the war, there is much more to it. It is really a story of family, romance, and the connection we have to our land.
It took me a while to get through the 550 pages. While it didn't really call to me to be read, whenever I did pick it up, it was immersive. So yes, I would recommend Properties of Thirst to those who enjoy a meandering, beautifully written historical story of love and family. You book club folks should consider Properties of Thirst.
eBook obtained from Edelweiss+
544 pages
Rating: 4/5
That's an interesting perspective of the camps in California that I haven't read about before. I am not sure how I'd do with 550 pages that weren't more face-paced, but that's probably more on me than the book.
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