"Juliet in August" by Dianne Warren

Cool Water by Dianne Warren was originally released in Canada in 2010.  It has now been released in the US under the title Juliet in August.  Here is my review of the book from October 2010.


Welcome to the town of Juliet, Saskatchewan, population 1011. At first glimpse you would think that there isn't much to this dusty oasis. But a closer look at some of the inhabitants show that this town is full of life and that its people are its heartbeat.

Lee is a young man, afraid to take responsibility of the the farm suddenly left behind to him by his adoptive parents. Bank manager Norval is carrying the weight of his clients, many of whom are at risk of losing everything, while dealing with his own inadequacies. Willard, who runs the local drive-in, is developing feelings for his sister-in-law Marian who continues to live under the same roof as him despite the death of his brother. Vicki and Blaine are the parents of six young children and are struggling just to keep a roof over their heads. Hank and Lynn's decades long marriage is threatened by the discovery of a small piece of paper in Hank's pocket.

Over the course of twenty-four hours these characters will face their troubles head on and discover that even in the most difficult of times, when they've lost their way, they will continue to move forward.

Cool Water is a beautiful book about everyday characters with everyday problems who show us that even in the simplest of surroundings, life still moves along in a complicated manner.

I wasn't sure of this book at first, if it would hold my attention, but I was drawn in quick and fell in love with these characters. It reminds me of the line from the Corner Gas theme song "you think there's not a lot going on." Being from the "big city" I would have thought that of a place like Juliet but this book shows you that while our surroundings may be different we all still struggle with similar problems as we move forward.

Cool Water is a lovely read. It is quick, engaging and heartwarming and is a great example of Canadian fiction.

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