Living Water [Hardcover]

Obery Hendricks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2003

Sprung from the pages of The New Testament, Living Water is a gripping and lyrical portrayal of a young women's search for identity set against the strict social confines of the time. This extraordinary first novel brings to life one of the most mysterious and intriguing characters in the Bible -- the woman at the well.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by the New Testament vignette about the woman at the well, first-time novelist Hendricks imagines the life story of a Samaritan woman who spreads the word of God after an encounter with Jesus Christ. Growing up, Maryam is viewed with suspicion in her village; neighbors derisively call her "gibora," meaning brave and bold-qualities that girls are not supposed to have. Since the humiliating day when the Roman soldiers stripped and beat the Samaritan men in front of their wives and children, the men have treated women as chattel. When she's 12, Maryam's father marries her to Jalon, a spoiled, dissipated youth, but Jalon divorces her under the law of erwat dabar, which allows husbands to cast aside wives virtually at will. Having no other means of support, Maryam remarries four more times to a sorry collection of men, two of whom commit suicide, before finding Yeshua, a gentle, like-minded husband. She meets Jesus at the well when he asks for a drink of water, promising in return "a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Maryam is surprised that he speaks to her, as Jews don't normally have dealings with Samaritans, let alone Samaritan women. At Jesus' bidding, Maryam brings Yeshua to meet him, and Jesus sends them out to preach the word that men and women are equal under God. Hendricks has his characters speak in Southern black vernacular ("Why men treat women like that?... Sumpin wrong with women?"), which, while slightly distracting at first, is surprisingly effective. The slow-moving action and inspirational tone will turn off some readers, but those interested in biblical history will appreciate this inventive variation.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Living Water is an exemplary novel for our times. Don’t miss this book!” (Cornel West, author of Race Matters )

“Refreshing wit and enlightenment... you’ll never read the Gospel story the same way again. A provocative novel” (Christian Science Monitor )

“It is hard to believe that this is Hendricks’ first trip to the literary well.” (Michael Eric Dyson, author of Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X, Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line, and the forthcoming Why I Love Black Women )

“A divinely inspired bridge to a new level of self-awareness. A must read.” (Iyanla Vanzant, best-selling author of Everyday I Pray and Up From Here )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060000872
• ISBN-13: 978-0060000875
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The touch of a stranger, March 12, 2003

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Water (Hardcover)

Obery Hendricks has taken a scene from the Bible and transformed it into a poetic novel about the conditions of Samaritan women during the times of Jesus. No one knows the name of the woman Jesus talked with at the well in the book of John, chapter 4, but this novel gives her a name. It also takes us through her five tragic marriages and gives her the strength to speak out in a country where women were considered worthless. While the novel takes place 2000 years ago, it is easy to slip into the mood of the book as attitudes and conditions of life for Samaritans under the harsh rule of the Romans and the disdain of the Jews unfolds. Unfortunately, it calls to mind some modern injustices that still exist.

Hendricks perhaps takes some liberties with Jesus toward the end of the book that I am sure will ruffle the feathers of some. The novel is an eye opener that explains some of the present day beliefs that we continue to maintain regarding the place of women, what spirituality is all about and above all, what constitutes love.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping, at times lusty, tale and an engaging read, June 29, 2004

By 

FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Water (Paperback)

This is a gripping, at times lusty, tale based on the life story of the Samaritan Woman. LIVING WATER is not a stereotypically lightweight, biblical novel. It's for readers who are ready for a challenge and willing to look for truths presented in nontraditional forms.

Author Obery Hendricks, a seminary "professor of biblical interpretation," calls this, his first novel, "an African American retelling of the New Testament story of the woman at the well who was married to five successive husbands at a time when women did not have the right to choose either marriage or divorce." Ethnic overtones are evident in some characters' nicknames (Sonny Boy and Big Mama) and patterns of dialogue ("Oh Lordy, we're in trouble now" and "Don't he talk sweet"). But there are deeper parallels: The ravages of slavery and harsh control influence the heart of the story --- the Samaritan men being humiliated and beaten down by the Romans; the women being powerless property of the husbands who have lost respect for themselves and take out their frustration on their women.

The book opens with a short, startling death scene of the Samaritan woman's fifth husband. Then Part 1 is a flashback, from prenuptial childhood up to that pivotal, bloody mess. She --- her name is Maryam, though significantly we aren't told this for 250 pages --- is a spunky, in-your-face kind of kid who sadly learns, from her kindhearted grandmother, Ma Tee, that spunk is not acceptable for girls. "Atop the coarse woolen tunic that is [the girl's] usual attire is now draped a stale, heavy garment of carefulness. Ma Tee has tried her best to craft it to her size, yet it does not fit. Still, she will dutifully struggle to wear it, though its weight will sag her heart to its knees." And this narrative comment comes even before she's married to and beaten down by her first husband and abandoned by numbers two, three, and four.

This is a feminist story, but not drastically so; it is egalitarian more than man bashing. The big cast of characters --- five (or is it six?) husbands, three father figures, a brother-in-law, Messiah Jesus, and more --- include bad men and good; similarly with the Samaritan women. In a supplemental reader's guide, Hendricks explains that the Samaritan woman's journey "to be free of male domination and mistreatment was also my own journey to free myself from the roles of dominator and mistreater."

Theologically conservative readers may rankle at some feminist theology, but, again, this is not as radical as it might be. Hendricks interprets biblical passages (mostly from Proverbs, once from Luke) that personify Wisdom (a feminine Hebrew word) as being descriptive of "the woman-side of God."

For a novel that is replete with social commentary applicable to any age --- including a chapter on an itinerant, fraudulent faith healer --- LIVING WATER is an engaging read. Part 2 --- in which Maryam claims her name, takes up with a man who loves her and treats her well, and becomes a disciple of Jesus --- includes powerful scenes of redemption, even unto the last page, which drew a tear to my eye.

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Water leaves you thirsty NO MORE...., May 3, 2003

By 

An Avid Reader (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Water (Hardcover)

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Hendricks for Booking Matters Magazine in February 2003, however at the time, I had not finished his novel (Living Water). I am very happy to share that I recently finished the novel and was left almost speechless by it's contents. Dr. Hendricks' dug really dip to pen such a powerful account of the well known bible story of the woman at the well. Growing up in church, I've heard the story (like many of you) preached, taught probably 1,000 different ways...however, I have never pondered who this woman really was. I never thought that maybe she (Maryam) had a story. In my quest to read novels that are historically based, I could NOT have chosen a better book to begin with. Living Water gives any reader a front row seat into the life of the "Woman at the Well" beginning with her childhood. By the end of the book, you feel as if you know her personally and you understand her reputation as having had five husbands. (you meet the husbands in the story)

Reading this novel opened up a plethora of new words for me, as Dr. Hendricks is a master storyteller, gifted writer and scholar. While challenging in some parts, the more I read, the harder it became for me to put the book down. Throughout the story, original biblical names are used, which makes the story even more interesting. The character development is super and the story flows very well. Some might view this as a challenging read but one, which will leave you thirsty no more. I highly recommend this to any avid reader, male and female, clergy, book clubs...it's a GREAT read.

Hats off to Dr. Hendrick's for giving us insight into the lives of these bible story characters, especially Maryam. Thanks for reminding us that even the people in the bible had/have significant stories....

I await your next novel....with great anticipation.