Water Witches

by Chris Bohjalian

Overview

Vermont is drying up. The normally lush, green countryside is in the grip of the worst drought in years: stunted cornstalks rasp in the hot July breeze, parched vegetable gardens wither and die, the Chittenden River shrinks to a trickle, and the drilling trucks are booked solid as one by one the wells give out. Patience Avery, known nationwide as a gifted "water witch," is having a busy summer, too. Using the tools of the dowser's trade — divining sticks, metal rods, bobbers, and pendulums — she can locate, among other things, aquifers deep within the earth. In the midst of this crisis, Scottie Winston lobbies for permits to expand Powder Peak, a local ski area that's his law firm's principal client. As part of the expansion, the resort seeks to draw water for snowmaking from the beleaguered Chittenden, despite opposition from environmentalists who fear that the already weakened river will be damaged beyond repair. What ensues in Chris Bohjalian's fourth novel is a struggle between conservation and development, rugged tradition versus inevitable progress. But it is also a tale of the clash between science and mystery, a chronicle of one man's transformation from cynic to believer. Vivid with the texture of New England ways, alive with characters both quirky and real, informed by the ongoing, real-life battles between environmentalism and economic expansion in Vermont, Water Witches is a story of ineffable forces, tenuous balances, "and perhaps something about our abilities as a people to heal and forgive and to love."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874516876
Publisher:	University Press of New England
Publication date:	02/01/1995
Series:	Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England Series
Pages:	351
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	950L (what's this?)

About the Author

CHRIS BOHJALIAN is author of the bestselling novel Midwives, as well as Trans-sister Radio. The Law of Similars, Past the Bleachers, Hangman, and A Killing in the Real World, in addition to numerous articles and reviews in publications such as the New York Times, Boston Globe, Reader's Digest, and Vermont Life. Past the Bleachers was filmed as a television movie by Hallmark.

Hometown:

Lincoln, Vermont

Date of Birth:

August 12, 1961

Place of Birth:

White Plains, New York

Education:

Amherst College

Website:

http://www.chrisbohjalian.com

What People are Saying About This

Cathie Pelletier

“A bewitching tale from New England by a writer with a generous heart for his subjects, and respect for a landscape he clearly loves. Chris Bohjalian's voice is as steady and sure as Vermont rain.”

Reading Group Guide

Reading Group Guide
1. Chris Bohjalian's novel Water Witches explores the phenomenon of "dowsing" which is described as the practice of "divining underground water with a stick" (page 3). Within the dowsing community there are those who believe anyone can dowse and those, like Patience Avery, who insist "that only select people have the power" (page 7). With whom do you agree? Would you liken it to a spiritual art or a form of witchcraft?
2. The narrator, Scottie Winston, a slick, powerful lawyer who lobbies on behalf of Powder Peak Ski Resort, also considers himself an environmentalist. However, compared to Senator Reedy McClure, Patience's groom-to-be, he states: "I am reasonable and Reddy McClure is a fanatic" (page 22). What are your first impressions of Scottie Winston? Does your opinion of him change as the novel draws to a close?
3. Comparing his wife, Laura, with her sister, Patience, Scottie explains that Laura has been the "normal" and "traditional" one while Patience "has been the center of attention" (page 106). Discuss the relationship between Laura and Patience. In what ways is jealousy a factor?
4. Patience Avery is described as an eccentric, opinionated, yet talented, woman. When Scottie is first introduced to Patience she tells him that men "have great potential to become grotesque" (page 5). What do you suppose she means by that statement? Why do you think she is so antagonistic toward men?
5. Scottie admits that when he and his wife decided to live in Vermont, "I chose simply to work for the law firm that made me the most lucrative offer. It was not, to my mind, a political decision" (page 70). How does Scottie's job, representing Powder Peak, eventually become political? Do you think he feels guilty for representing the ski resort?
6. Discuss the narrator's internal conflict regarding the environmental harm that will come as a result of Powder Peak's expansion. In what ways does Scottie justify the expansion to himself and others? Would you side with Powder Peak or the Copper Project?
7. After he and his daughter, Miranda, see the catamounts on Mount Republic Scottie can no longer advocate the resort's expansion plans. Furthermore, he can no longer act as a seemingly neutral player. What forces him to take sides? Speculate on what Scottie might have done had he seen the catamounts alone. Considering the financial repercussions, what might you have done?
8. Miranda, like her mother and her aunt Patience, has also inherited the Avery dowsing gene. Patience, who acts as Miranda's dowsing mentor fears that Scottie and Laura may stifle Miranda's talent. She tells Laura that "Your daughter's gift makes mine look like a dime store ruby" (page 58). What would you do as Miranda's parents? Would you allow Miranda to explore and develop her talent?
9. Regarding the fact that there are more male dowsers than female ones, Patience maintains that it yet another example of how men have "usurped control of yet one more God-given female talent" (page 49). Do you agree with Patience? Are certain professions naturally more suited to women? To men?
10. Vermont's drought has a profound affect on Miranda who is extremely sensitive and empathetic to the natural surroundings. Referring to her Aunt Patience and the legendary dowser, Elias Gray, she laments: "I wish they could find water in the sky as easily as they find it underground" (page 103). Does her wish come true? Discuss the scene that takes place at the Chittenden River after Patience and Reedy's wedding ceremony.
11. Part Three, the novel's finale, is written in Miranda's voice. Why do you suppose the author chooses to end with Miranda's postscript? What does the reader learn from Miranda that would have been impossible to learn from the narrator? Was it a satisfying ending for you? Why or why not?

Introduction

Reading Group Guide

1. Chris Bohjalian's novel Water Witches explores the phenomenon of "dowsing" which is described as the practice of "divining underground water with a stick" (page 3). Within the dowsing community there are those who believe anyone can dowse and those, like Patience Avery, who insist "that only select people have the power" (page 7). With whom do you agree? Would you liken it to a spiritual art or a form of witchcraft?

2. The narrator, Scottie Winston, a slick, powerful lawyer who lobbies on behalf of Powder Peak Ski Resort, also considers himself an environmentalist. However, compared to Senator Reedy McClure, Patience's groom-to-be, he states: "I am reasonable and Reddy McClure is a fanatic" (page 22). What are your first impressions of Scottie Winston? Does your opinion of him change as the novel draws to a close?

3. Comparing his wife, Laura, with her sister, Patience, Scottie explains that Laura has been the "normal" and "traditional" one while Patience "has been the center of attention" (page 106). Discuss the relationship between Laura and Patience. In what ways is jealousy a factor?

4. Patience Avery is described as an eccentric, opinionated, yet talented, woman. When Scottie is first introduced to Patience she tells him that men "have great potential to become grotesque" (page 5). What do you suppose she means by that statement? Why do you think she is so antagonistic toward men?

5. Scottie admits that when he and his wife decided to live in Vermont, "I chose simply to work for the law firm that made me the most lucrative offer. It was not, to my mind, a political decision" (page 70). How doesScottie's job, representing Powder Peak, eventually become political? Do you think he feels guilty for representing the ski resort?

6. Discuss the narrator's internal conflict regarding the environmental harm that will come as a result of Powder Peak's expansion. In what ways does Scottie justify the expansion to himself and others? Would you side with Powder Peak or the Copper Project?

7. After he and his daughter, Miranda, see the catamounts on Mount Republic Scottie can no longer advocate the resort's expansion plans. Furthermore, he can no longer act as a seemingly neutral player. What forces him to take sides? Speculate on what Scottie might have done had he seen the catamounts alone. Considering the financial repercussions, what might you have done?

8. Miranda, like her mother and her aunt Patience, has also inherited the Avery dowsing gene. Patience, who acts as Miranda's dowsing mentor fears that Scottie and Laura may stifle Miranda's talent. She tells Laura that "Your daughter's gift makes mine look like a dime store ruby" (page 58). What would you do as Miranda's parents? Would you allow Miranda to explore and develop her talent?

9. Regarding the fact that there are more male dowsers than female ones, Patience maintains that it yet another example of how men have "usurped control of yet one more God-given female talent" (page 49). Do you agree with Patience? Are certain professions naturally more suited to women? To men?

10. Vermont's drought has a profound affect on Miranda who is extremely sensitive and empathetic to the natural surroundings. Referring to her Aunt Patience and the legendary dowser, Elias Gray, she laments: "I wish they could find water in the sky as easily as they find it underground" (page 103). Does her wish come true? Discuss the scene that takes place at the Chittenden River after Patience and Reedy's wedding ceremony.

11. Part Three, the novel's finale, is written in Miranda's voice. Why do you suppose the author chooses to end with Miranda's postscript? What does the reader learn from Miranda that would have been impossible to learn from the narrator? Was it a satisfying ending for you? Why or why not?

Chris Bohjalian is the author of six other novels, including the number-one bestseller Midwives, The Law of Similars, and Trans-Sister Radio. He lives in Vermont with his wife and daughter.

Editorial Reviews

In a moving, life-affirming novel suffused with ecological wisdom, a Vermont ski resort's plans for expansion collide with environmentalists seeking to preserve a mountainous wildlife habitat and riverine ecosystem. Narrator Scott Winston, a transplanted New York City lawyer who represents the ski resort, switches allegiance after he and his nine-year-old daughter spot three mountain lions in an area targeted for clearing. Complicating matters is the envy that Scott's pragmatic wife, Laura, a native Vermonter, feels toward her famed sister, Patience Avery, a dowser (water witch) who also opposes the ski resort and whose talent for locating underground springs, missing persons or lost objects with a divining rod figures prominently in the novel's denouement. The struggle between the developers and their opponents culminates in an environmental board hearing that has all the dramatic excitement of a courtroom trial. With wit, insight and mordant irony, Bohjalian (Past the Bleachers) charts Scott's metamorphosis from rationalistic materialist and skeptic to one who believes in higher powers and the interconnectedness of all life. In a refreshing twist, instead of offering a bucolic idyll, the author takes us through a Vermont beset by drought, a declining ski industry, unemployment and endangered ecosystems. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Ecologically devastating oil spills, electromagnetic radiation, vegetarian Not Dogs-all the "green" issues of the day are present and accounted for in this topical offering from the author of the much-praised baseball novel Past the Bleachers (LJ 5/1/92), which is set, fittingly, in the Green Mountain country of Vermont. With the cards so stacked against him, it's a measure of Bohjalian's talent that rather than giving us mere personifications of Big Ideas, he's able to create fully realized characters we can care about-like his protagonist, a small-town lawyer who faces a crisis of conscience when he finds himself caught up in the familiar conflict between Jobs (in this case, the ski industry) and The Environment. The extensive dowsing lore that runs through the narrative like an underground stream is a bonus delight. Recommended for public libraries.-David Sowd, formerly with Stark Cty. District Lib., Canton, Ohio

Library Journal

"A bewitching tale from New England by a writer with a generous heart for his subjects, and respect for a landscape he clearly loves. Chris Bohjalian's voice is as steady and sure as Vermont rain."

Cathie Pelletier

"Bohjalian's book is as beautifully made as a Windsor chair, as comforting as a long woodpile in October, and as flavorful as a Northern Spy apple."

Providence Journal

"As welcome as rain on a parched garden."

New York Newsday - Sally Eckhoff

"In Chris Bohjalian's wise, splendid book, we hear the echo and avalanche made when centuries collide. One of the most elegantly philosophical, urgent — yet somehow timeless — novels of these perilous times."

Howard Norman National Book Award finalist

"Anyone whose family is divided between conservatives and liberals will squirm with recognition....Anyone who has enjoyed the pretension to being an insider in a capital city — be it Montpelier or Washington — will laugh uncomfortably."

The Washington Post Book World

"I was charmed by the mixture of country lore and planning boards, new age witches and old-fashioned family duties....For anyone interested in the way that we live with the land, on the land, today, this novel makes for a thoughtful evening or two of entertaining reading."

NPR

Bohjalian is a master of literary suspense.”
—The Washington Post

“Few writers can manipulate a plot with Bohjalian’s grace and power.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“[Bohjalian’s] books are ... filled with artfully drawn characters and great, passionate storytelling.” 
—The Seattle Times

“A writer of unusual heart.”
—The Boston Globe

From the Publisher