Like Water on Stone

Starred review from September 22, 2014
Divided into four devastating sections spanning five years, Walrath’s debut vividly renders the atrocities of the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century, using multiple first-person narratives in delicate verse. After years of living peacefully as Christians with neighboring Muslims, Papa refuses to accept the worsening political realities his son, Shahen, recognizes until it’s too late: “Papa so thick,/ so certain,/ so simple./ He lost three sons/ in one day:/ my brothers/ to soldiers,/ and me/ to a scarf and dress.” Shahen, dressed as a girl, escapes into the mountains with his sisters Sosi and Mariam, guiding them through scenes of carnage as they leave behind their parents, family, and friends: “ ‘I’ve got you./ Hold on./ Keep them closed.’.... Up the bank/ past the bodies,/ heaps of them,/ bloated,/ cut open./ ‘Just hold on./ Keep them closed.’ ” Ardziv, a compassionate eagle watching over the family and following the children, adds a touch of magical realism that softens the devastating images. A shocking tale of a bleak moment in history, told with stunning beauty. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

October 1, 2014
This verse novel uses alternating narrators to document three siblings' flight from the 1915 Armenian genocide. The Donabedian family's Christian faith makes them a target of the Ottoman Empire's genocide. When violence erupts, the parents barely manage to create a diversion that allows three of their children to escape to the mountains. With meager food supplies and only vague directions on how to reach safety, the children's courage is tested. But unexpected sources provide help, most notably Ardziv, an eagle who both occasionally provides scavenged food and narrates events from his aerial perspective. This device does help illuminate the broad scale of the government's brutality, but Ardziv also complicates the question of the author's intended audience. While the novel's graphic violence lends itself to more mature readers, they may view the eagle's narration and assistance with skepticism. The verse is often powerful, especially in its use of repetition, but it does not provide the author with much textual opportunity to fully explain the nature of the ethnic and religious conflict. From a design perspective, it's unfortunate that the information provided on the opening map reveals that the siblings survive and make it to New York, which may diminish the novel's tension for many readers. The emotional impact these events had on individuals will certainly resonate, but understanding the conflict at large may still require supplemental reading. (Historical fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from August 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-Thirteen-year-old Aremenian twins Shahen and his sister, Sosi, live in the 1914 Ottoman Empire with their loving parents; younger sister, Miriam; and older brothers Misak and Kevorg. A Christian like the rest of their family, their 19-year-old sister, Anahid, is married to Asan, a Kurd, and is expecting a baby. Life is pleasant in their mixed religious community where their family makes its living as millers. However, when the cruel and hateful leaders of the Ottoman Empire decide at the start of World War I that the Armenians are "traitors" and should be eliminated, genocide ensues. Anahid is hidden by her in-laws at the risk of their own lives. Forced to leave their parents and brothers behind to certain death, Shahen, Sosi, and little Miriam barely escape and make a harrowing journey across the mountains, hoping for rescue and to somehow reach their uncle who lives in America. As Ardziv, an eagle, soars above, he adds a note of magical realism and a sense of omnipresent poetic narration to the authentic voices of the family members as he witnesses their joys, shock, and heartbreak. This beautiful, yet at times brutally vivid, historical verse novel will bring this horrifying, tragic period to life for astute, mature readers who enjoy books in this format or genre such as The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle (Holt, 2008) and Between Shades of Gray by Ruth Sepetys (Philomel, 2011). A cast of characters, and author note with historical background are thoughtfully included.-Diane P. Tuccillo, Poudre River Public Library District, CO

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2014
Grades 8-12 Hoping to stay ahead of rampaging Turks, twins Shahen and Sosi flee their home in Ottoman-ruled western Armenia in 1915 with little sister Mariam in tow. Shahen wonders bitterly how Papa could have insisted on clinging to their home so long, trusting that no harm could come to Armenian Christians. Now their family is being massacred, and the siblings have only a slim chance of reaching Aleppo, for a better chance of safety. Walrath's tale of the Armenian genocide strikes a unique, lyrical tone, written in readers'-theater-style verse. The three main characters have clearly identified passages, while a fourth characterthe soaring, watchful eagle, Ardzivassumes the role of narrator and offers a touch of magic realism. He is a guiding light and savior to the children along their escape. Readers will need to adjust to the style to follow the story, but they will be rewarded with a powerful tale balancing the graphic reality of genocide with a shining spirit of hope and bravery in young refugees coming to terms with their world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015
This unusual novel about the 1915 Armenian genocide is written in intricate verse and tempered by the magical realism of an eagle that helps three siblings during their escape from their village. Shahen (disguised as a girl), his twin sister, and younger sister flee after their family is killed, eventually making it to Syria. An excellent author's note and extensive resource lists are appended. Map. Glos.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)