Waterline

Aram Mrjoian

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction + Literary Fiction

This debut novel is set on the island of Grosse Ile near Detroit and follows the Kurkijan family, an Armenian American family. The family is devastated when they receive the tragic news of their daughter Mari's suicide. The event causes lots of pain and trauma to a family whose ancestors have already suffered a lot in the past.

As the story unfolds, the ties of this family with the Armenian Genocide, specifically their great-grandfather, Gregor, open up. Gregor is one of the survivors of the genocide, and his voice is felt throughout the novel, showing the importance of staying true to your roots and all the hardships that the ancestors went through.

For a debut novel, the author has done an impressive job with the story. His lyrical prose is beautiful and engaging. The way he blends our contemporary time with the historical context is truly admirable. The deep generational trauma can be felt by all the characters. Reading about the Armenian culture was really good, and all the hardships detailed made the novel a thought-provoking experience.

Usually, I’m not a fan of multiple character perspectives, but in this book, it worked for me. Maybe because more than the plot itself, the book is a character-driven story, so these characters were fleshed out and well written.

The book has a non-linear storytelling approach, so the shifting in timelines and perspectives might feel a bit excessive for such a short novel. While for me, the open ending was quite suitable and realistic for the story’s theme, some readers might feel it is ambiguous and doesn’t provide closure. Regardless of the drawbacks, I think this debut novel has all it takes to be a wonderful reading experience.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.