We Are Water

by Wally Lamb

First published 2013

Annie Oh has spent twenty-seven years married to Orion, raising three children and creating art on the margins of her life. Now she has fallen for Viveca, a Manhattan art dealer who brought Annie's work to prominence. Annie wants to marry Viveca in Three Rivers, Connecticut, where same-sex marriage is now legal. Her decision fractures the Oh family. Orion, a psychologist, struggles with the collapse of his marriage. Their daughter Ariane tries to hold everyone together while her twin brother Andrew rebels. Youngest daughter Marissa navigates the chaos with characteristic independence. As the wedding approaches, buried family secrets surface. Each member of the Oh family confronts painful truths that have shaped their lives. Set during Obama's early presidency, the story unfolds through multiple perspectives as the family grapples with changing relationships and old wounds that refuse to heal.

Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family

Setting: Three Rivers, Connecticut, Manhattan

Period: Obama's Early Presidency

550 pages · ebook · HarperCollins

Content warnings: emotional-abuse

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