Properties of Thirst

PROPERTIES OF THIRST, August 2, 2022, Simon & SchusterMarianne Wiggins is an award-winning author of eight novels, one of which was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. Born November 8, 1947, she makes her home in Southern California. After suffering a massive stroke in 2016, the book was completed with the assistance of her daughter, Lara Porzak. Ms. Wiggins’ nonlinear story is set in California, primarily in 1942, at the beginning of World War II, with flashbacks to the formative past. Throughout the novel are characters who, in one way or another, due to their choices or circumstances, are out of place, and so cannot reach their potentials. “Rocky” (Rockwell) Rhodes is a tough-minded rancher. His estate, Three Chairs, is sustained by old family money. Rhodes’ energy and much of his fortune are spent harrying Los Angeles Department of Water—the “water boys”—and its expropriation of Owens Valley water to which, he holds, it has no right, despite the water having been purchased by LADW. The forced relocation of Japanese Americans from their rightful homes to an internment camp being built directly across the road from Three Chairs has further stressed the resource. Rhodes’ wife, Lou, a French-born doctor, died from polio years before the story begins, still her persona permeates it. Rhodes mourns her endlessly. After Lou’s death, Rocky’s twin sister, Caswell, moved to the estate to help care for his children, twins Sunny and Stryker and, remaining there long after the children were grown, is present in the household when the book opens. Stryker joined the Navy and was in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. His family doubts he is alive. Meanwhile, Sunny dedicates herself to learning about French “cookery,” an obsession gleaned from memories of her mother’s kitchen and the trove of cookbooks discovered since her mother’s death. The reader is given a glimpse into Sunny’s memories of an ocean voyage with Aunt Caswell, and her introduction to international cuisine and manners. Sunny establishes a fine restaurant, “Lou’s,” in the awkward little town of Lone Pine, near the internment camp. Schiff is the individual to whose movements and intentions I am most drawn. His arrival on site brings to the text a sort of mirror reflected in a mirror, or the aspect of the untroubled surface of a deep and very troubled pond. A young, civilian lawyer, Schiff’s degree has been diverted to a patently lawless function with his assignment by the United States Department of the Interior to establish and direct Owens Valley Assembly Center (later renamed Manzanar Relocation Center). With no related experience, Schiff undoubtedly jumped in at the deep end. The author makes much of Schiff’s keen sense of language, specifically his use of legalese. Schiff’s observations include frequent references to his Jewish heritage, its influence on his character although he is not personally religious, and his vulnerability to the sting of prejudice. Upon arriving in Lone Pine, Schiff, unmarried, is billeted at a hotel and finds his way to Lou’s for a meal. When the restaurant is overcrowded with an influx of unexpected movie stars and a crew making a movie (backdropped by the famous Alabama Hills), having worked at a diner during college, he jumps in to help, which creates the story’s pivot point. PROPERTIES OF THIRST is a big book. With its countless themes, I suspect months will pass while I unpack its allusions. Highly recommended. The story is unforgettable.

Properties of Thirst is a long, dense, and a somewhat engaging novel about the creation of the California internment camp Manzanar which opened not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The story slowly describes life before, during and after the Japanese Americans arrive, most particularly from the point of view of the wealthy Rhodes family, part of whose land is commissioned for the building of the camp.We meet Rocky and Cas, the twin brother and sister who manage the property, and together raise Rocky's the twin brother and sister Stryker and Sunny, who have grown up without their mother, a beautiful French woman-chef-medic who passed away early in their infancy. In 1942, Stryker is reported to have been killed in Pearl Harbor, although his whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, Sunny has followed her mother's footsteps by becoming an excellent chef and it is at her restaurant in town, Lou's, where she meets Schiff, a civilian attorney working for the Department of Interior, charged with building and running Manzanar.Mostly, this is a story about how Manzanar affects the lives of those forced into the camp as well as the local residents who are forced to sacrifice their property (and their lives) to the government-run facility. We also learn how the Dept of Water and Power redirected water away from Owens Valley and into LA., causing rancor from the local residents. A burgeoning love story between Sunny and Schiff is lovely and dramatic but keeps our interest up.I liked the book but was a bit disappointed by the ending. However, if you read the After Notes, you’ll also learn about the author being faced with a highly dramatic medical situation while working to finish the novel, so my empathy for Ms. Wiggins' serious health issues somewhat lessened my disappointment in the ending.

Wiggins had written a story of beautiful prose. This is a story of love and loss with rich characters in the Sierra Nevadas where this expansive backdrop is large and a character within itself. There is so much history woven in tapestry of this beautiful book told of a strong family who dares to love life large. I learned so much history of religion, World War 2 history and of The sad period of Japanese internment and of cooking and love for food told with such lyricism. The characters in this novel are so vivid that you carry them with you and want to be a thread in their landscape. Reading the afterword in this novel enhanced the gravitas of the novel knowing the author suffered a massive stroke while writing the book. Enjoy Properties of Thirst: relish it languidly as it is a novel not to be rushed

I liked this book. The writers style was a bit hard to follow in the beginning. I loved the characters and the story is important to be told; as fiction there is some historical correctness here. First time reader of this writer. I’d read another.

There were many moments of enjoyment in this book. There was laughter and frustration. There were characters filled with their own experiences that added to the communal narrative. But there were too many gaps and loose ends for me to

Easily one of the best books I’ve read in years. Marianne Wiggins stopped me in my tracks with her prose and poetic writing. Few writers have such command of language and storytelling. You’ll want to savor this book. “You can’t save what you don’t love” —the thematic first sentence of Wiggins’ beautiful saga of love, family and loss set against the backdrop of WW2 in the American West. PROPERTIES OF THIRST has set the bar high for all books to follow. The author’s stroke and recovery while writing her novel is one of the most beautiful examples of love, family and the power of the written word. This story of recovery is told in the last chapters of the book by her daughter, photographer Lara Porzak. It’s an astounding story and beautiful just like this novel that I didn’t want to end. I can’t wait to discuss the book with my bookclub!!

Great characterisation. Description of the landscape is excellent.

Very good