I agree with the user comment above in regard to the fact that teenagers will not appreciate this film. I kept telling myself as I was watching it, that it is not a movie that kids will understand. I shouldn't say 'all' kids, but probably most. Ironically, this is a movie that kids should see because they can learn about elements that a good movie usually contains: developed characters, a good plot, and excellent acting, to name a few. Not to mention that the movie gives the viewer a lot to think about and is an expertly crafted piece of psychological suspense. I seem to have found a new weird sub-genre that I love: books set on ships in the early 19th century. This is the third I’ve read in the past year over several different genres, and I’ve really enjoyed them all. Both main characters are male. William Borden is tall, handsome and considered a hero of seas. Hiram Carver comes from an established well-to-do medical family. There are social expectations for both and the burden of this as well as their upbringing forms the basis for the story. Who can admit truth to self or the other, and then live?

Dark Waters (2019 film) - Wikipedia Dark Waters (2019 film) - Wikipedia

But above Truth and Madness, the thing that sits in the centre of this story, and indeed embodies all its themes, is Hiram Carver’s private obsession … William Borden. Once they set sail, unexplainable atrocities begin happening on board of the Sardaam. A dead man stalks the ship, haunted symbols draw themselves on the walls, and mysterious slaughters begin unfolding. Though it is Hiram Carver who leads us through the novel’s intriguing plot, it is perhaps William Borden who most attracts the reader’s attention. Like Carver, we are caught between his strangeness and charm, and we remain enthralled to the enduring mystery of what really happened on that small dinghy cast adrift in the Pacific. And then there’s Borden. He’s described as a sort of demigod, a supernatural figure. Now I do appreciate that we’re perceiving borden from Carver’s perspective, but the “elevated” language in which he’s consistently presented becomes rather over the top.

Gosh, this book was dark in places. It also made me feel quite claustrophobic at times which I think was more to do with the wonderful language used more than the actual story at times. It was also a book that could be read on several levels. This first read of mine had me wanting to get to the end more than stopping and "smelling the roses" so to speak. If I re-read, and I fully intend to do so even though it is not something I usually do, I will definitely be taking my time and savouring the journey. It was also, for me anyway, quite a visual book for the most part. I don't always manage to "see" what I am reading but her the images conjured up in my head were quite vivid and indeed visceral at times and I think this also helped with my overall enjoyment of the book. It definitely brought the wonderfully crafted characters to life.

Dark Water: Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Dark Water: Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for

Like the very best books, Dark Water forces us as readers to guess at what lies below the surface, whether it be a character’s true motives or the truth behind supposedly heroic deeds. Confronted as we are by characters ensnared within their own delusions, we too are held captive by this beautifully-written novel; though, as the poet Dylan Thomas would have it, we sing "in our chains like the sea." Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle against DuPont (2019 book) He’s got a degree in English and Philosophy, which makes him excellent at arguing and terrible at choosing degrees. It also introduces Precarious Passage (2016/2023), a limited-edition artwork based on Dark Water, Burning World (2016) and the British Museum publication A History of the World in 100 Objects (first published in 2010). It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.It becomes tiring to read florid and lengthy descriptions about Carver’s mental state when there’s nothing actually moving the plot forward, there’s no tension and nothing to get excited about. Because the writing is so dense, it’s tempting to let your eyes just skim over the words until something actually happens. Dark Water feels like a classic novel – despite being a (historic) contemporary debut. Like it could have been released many, many years ago. Not because it is literally set over a century ago, but because of its strength. Its lasting impact. And I think the story itself can stand alone as its own classic, regardless of its imminent debut. Some songs weren’t mere songs. They were memories curled tight and set alight.”Samuel Pipps and Arent Hayes are the dynamic duo responsible for stopping the most notorious crimes across the world.