Casualties Of Truth

Prudence Wright seems to have it all: a loving husband, Davis; a spacious home in Washington, DC; and the past glories of a successful career at McKinsey, which now enables her to dedicate her days to her autistic son Roland. When she and Davis head out for dinner with one of Davis’s new colleagues on a stormy summer evening filled with startling and unwelcome interruptions, Prudence has little reason to think that certain details of her history might arise sometime between cocktails and the appetizer course.        

Yet when Davis’s colleague turns out to be Matshediso, a man from Prudence’s past, she is transported back to the formative months she spent as a law student in South Africa in 1996. As an intern at a Johannesburg law firm, Prudence attended sessions of the Truth and Reconciliation hearings, which uncovered the many horrors and human rights abuses of the Apartheid state, and which fundamentally shaped her sense of righteousness and justice. But Prudence experienced personal horrors in South Africa as well, ones she long resolved to keep carefully hidden and ones which Matshediso threatens to now expose. When Matshediso finally reveals the real reason behind his sudden reappearance, he will force Prudence to examine her most deeply held beliefs and to excavate inner reserves  of resilience and strength.

Lauren Francis-Sharma’s previous two novels have established her as a deft chronicler of history and its intersections with flawed humans struggling to find peace in unjust circumstances. With keen insight and gripping tension, Casualties of Truth explosively mines questions of whether we are ever truly able to remove the stains of our past and how we may attempt to reconcile with unquestionable wrongs.

“At once riveting, ferocious, and deeply unsettling, Casualties of Truth is a necessary read. Lauren Francis-Sharma is a magician of a writer who masterfully blends a page-turning murder mystery-thriller with a powerful exploration of the liminal space between resilience and violence, memory and history, and vengeance and justice. I loved this book.”—Angie Kim, New York Times-bestselling author of Happiness Falls and Miracle Creek

“Clever, provocative, and deeply felt. Casualties of Truth takes a clear and unflinching look at a complex system of oppression and delivers a vividly told and unforgettable story.”—Karin Slaughter, New York Times- and #1 internationally bestselling author

“Casualties of Truth is a page-turner so engrossing that you never get distracted by the exceptional grace of its storytelling. Tense yet character-driven, Lauren Francis-Sharma has created a brilliant rumination on how we use the malleable clay of memory to sculpt our understanding of ourselves and the world.”—Mat Johnson, author of Pym and Invisible Things

 

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Praise and Reviews

 
 
Reviews
Rebecca Makkai

“With laser-sharp prose and a keen eye for psychology, Casualties of Truth gives us a a story of vengeance, justice, and the mutations of memory… This is a world in which no one is perfect, no one is at peace, and nothing can truly be forgotten.  As riveting as it is important.”

Deon Meyer

“Like the jacaranda’s fragrance and beauty, Casualties of Truth lures you in with exquisite writing and the delicate construction of fascinating characters. And then, like El Tunche, it devours you with truths about and insights into all the shades of humanity. Sheer brilliance.”

Xochitl Gonzalez

"I could not put this down! Once again, Francis-Sharma’s phenomenal prose delivers; here, with exquisite suspense in a revenge story chocked full of thorny characters. This is an unforgiving tale of cat-and-mouse begging us to confront just how far we’d go to take control in a society hell-bent on minimizing our pain. These pages set loose the raging, wicked what-ifs we keep deeply and shamefully hidden inside our basements."

Wanda M. Morris

“Casualties of Truth is an astonishing novel that simmers with the hot heat of decades of death, injustice, and vengeance. Lauren Francis-Sharma’s characters are pitch perfect in their depth and her story is an unflinching study of the horrors of the South African Apartheid state. Brava!”

A love letter to Trinidad

“The nearly 400-page book is a sweeping epic that spans generations and cultures, encompassing a woman’s love for a man and a mother’s love for her children. It’s also a love letter to Trinidad, with its salty sea air, Carnival and calypso beats, sweet fruits and spicy stews, and games of cricket.”

–The Baltimore Sun

An unforgettable journey

“Have you ever met a family whose every tear, every triumph, every heartbreak made your heart leap? I could not put this book down. An unforgettable journey.”

–Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times bestseller Wench

Explosive truths

“Lauren Francis-Sharma has expertly stitched a vibrant, kaleidoscopic garment, rich with mother-love, spiced curry, frenzied passion, bitter teas and Obeah magic. Its scent slips under your skin, is breathed into your lungs, until, in a rush of blood, it reaches your heart. I was gently guided, then yanked into the lush, dangerous world of old Trinidad, turning and spinning—crashing through doorways, confronted by sinister lies, bone-crushing loss, opulence, poverty, despair and ultimately triumph. Taken through the salt air and red roads of Blanchisseuse, to New York streets–being surprised again and again. ‘Till the Well Runs Dry reveals delicately woven, yet explosive truths, that in understanding, allow us to see the world differently.”

–Cynthia Bond, author of New York Times bestseller Ruby

Always gratifying

“Lauren Francis-Sharma is a true story-teller.‘Til the Well Runs Dry burns through its telling like the best gossip, but has the controlled mystery of a fairytale. This narrative is surprising, winding and always gratifying.”

–Tiphanie Yanique, author of How to Escape from a Leper Colony and Land of Love and Drowning

So familiar

“I devoured ‘Til the Well Runs Dry in three short nights. I couldn’t wait to get back to the stories and the characters who I almost didn’t want to be fiction, because I cared so much about their ever-after. I found Lauren Francis-Sharma’s world so familiar to me, a place with hidden corners hiding deep secrets I couldn’t wait to unravel and then have my breath pause as they revealed themselves in ways I couldn’t imagine. Her story might be about a girl from Blanchisseuse, but above that is an extraordinary story about a misunderstood girl who knows how to stand her ground.”

–Victoria Brown, author of Minding Ben

The new world

“With an intense voice, Lauren Francis-Sharma draws us into old Trinidad, weaving a classic immigrant’s tale, punctuated with the heady scents and rhythms of a bygone time, carrying us to the new world.”

–Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, author of A Tiger in the Kitchen

Eccentric story

“Lauren Francis-Sharma’s debut novel, ‘Til the Well Runs Dry, illuminates a complex and beautiful Trinidad… [And] at the heart of ‘Til the Well Runs Dry is Marcia Garcia’s delightful, eccentric story of several decades, several children, much resilience, many secrets, romance, and harrowing immigration. In ‘Til the Well Runs Dry, Lauren Francis-Sharma has gone looking for her own personal history and has written as well an important narrative celebrating the African and South Asian people who created Caribbean culture.”

–Breena Clarke, bestselling author of River, Cross My Heart and Angels Make Their Hope Here

Suspenseful tale

“[A] remarkably accomplished first-time novelist…Francis-Sharma’s spellbinding, intimately detailed, psychologically lush, and suspenseful tale of racial and sexual trauma, hard work, love, and family devotion makes personal the injustice people endured in the years leading up to the civil rights movement in both multicultural Trinidad and segregated America.”

–Booklist (Starred Review)

Witty and deeply soulful

“Alone I sat on the sand and took in the beauty of my grandmother’s land’ was the reason Lauren Francis-Sharma gave for writing her remarkable debut ‘Til the Well Runs Dry. I was swept away by this thunderous, witty, and deeply soulful novel about family, Trinidad, secrets, porch sitters, dirt roads and passion. And so satisfying, like the first time I read my aunt’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.”

–Lucy Ann Hurston

Rich and satisfying

“From the Caribbean island of Trinidad comes a saga ripe with heartbreak and joy. Sharma delivers a rich and satisfying debut on the ties of family, love and culture—and how those ties are sometimes better when broken.”

–Kirkus Review

Wonderful new writer

“An evocative and emotionally resonant family saga with one of the most compelling heroines I’ve met in a long time. A story of love, loss, and triumph set in a world of secret and moral consequence. Like the Obeah woman in her story, Lauren-Francis Sharma has cast a spell that refuses to release me. I won’t forget this story or the voice of this wonderful new writer any time soon.”

–Brunonia Barry, New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader

Amazing journey of light

“A first novel…with experiences, imagery and characters that linger on the flesh. Eyes. In the heart. And as I read the last paragraph, and closed the book, I knew that I had experienced an amazing journey of light. Thank you my dear sister for this wonderful book.”

–Sonia Sanchez, Poet and Writer

Like a song

“In her debut novel, Lauren Francis-Sharma takes us to the island of Trinidad, the “Land of the Humming Bird,” in a story that feels more like a song, with a chorus of voices across generations revealing a culture as vibrant and enriching as it is overlooked by those on the mainland.”

–Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University

Not just a story

“‘Til The Well Runs Dry is unforgettable. Like the best poetry, it has all the high notes: a beautiful girl, a spell that leads to love and death, and a terrible secret – in a language pieced with the cries and colors of the West Indies. But this is not just a story; it’s the author’s retelling of her own origins. Sweet, brutal, and unsparing, this is Lauren Francis-Sharma’s first book, yet she commands the page.”

–Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Deep End of the Ocean

New risks and rewards

“From a New York City-born daughter of Trinidadian immigrants, a debut novel set on the latter island. Francis-Sharma’s story begins in a seaside village in the north of Trinidad in 1943, where 16-year-old smart-alec seamstress Marcia Garcia is raising two small boys and hiding a secret. Everything changes when the boys disappear, she meets a young cop and they fall madly in love. Along the way she moves to New York, encountering new risks and rewards.”

–NEW YORK POST, One of the “Must Read Books” for Week of April 20th.

Dramatic moments

“Lauren Francis-Sharma’s debut novel ‘Til the Well Runs Dry is a richly woven tale about family, love and sacrifice. Set mostly in the lush environment of Trinidad in the World War II era, the story’s protagonist Marcia Garcia was inspired by Francis-Sharma’s grandmother….The novel is full of dramatic moments and page-turning events dealing with death and love and rage and bottomless sorrow. But Francis-Sharma deftly tells this story with grace and confidence. There is a more literary aspect to the novel in the way that issues of race, class, mental health, gender dynamics and other multi-faceted topics are addressed. It’s a thought-provoking novel that would make for a good book club selection.”

–CLUTCH Magazine, April, 2014

Exquisitely written story

“First time novelist Lauren Francis-Sharma is blasting onto the literary scene with an exquisitely written story set in 1940s Trinidad. You can almost smell the salt water around the main character, 16 year-old Marcia, as she struggles to get by as a seamstress and caretaker to two children. Love suddenly enters her life in the form of Farouk Karam, but deep secrets threaten their relationship from the beginning. The author’s incredible talents make her more than one to watch. She’s one to find.”

–JUICY Magazine, Paula’s Picks, May, 2014

Imperfect characters

“Francis-Sharma’s debut novel demonstrates a knack for enchanting setting and engrossing, imperfect characters… Francis-Sharma keeps the mystery mesmerizing and the fascinating personalities on the rails.”

–bustle.com

Multi generational saga

“Stretching all the way from a tiny seaside village in Trinidad to the shores of America, this multi-generational saga blends issues of class, race and gender with notions of love, deception and the power of decision.”

–UPTOWN Magazine, May, 2014

Life and love

“A family tale of love, loss and triumph, Lauren Francis-Sharma’s debut novel, ‘Til The Well Runs Dry, is a multigenerational saga that has already earned loads of acclaim for its heartfelt, poetic approach to storytelling. Focusing on the life and love of Marcia Garcia, a 16-year old girl living in a village in north Trinidad, the story weaves a complicated tale that should leave readers wanting more.”

–UPSCALE Magazine, May, 2014

Gratifying and memorable read

“In her first published novel, Francis-Sharma satisfyingly embraces the rich and rhythmic language of Trinidad to tell the story of one woman’s strength of spirit, love and devotion for her husband and children and her experiences as an immigrant that makes for a gratifying and memorable read.”

–THE NETWORK JOURNAL, May, 2014

Artfully spun love story

“Infused with the sounds, scents and spells of Trinidad, this debut novel is an artfully spun love story, a multilayered coming-of-age tale, a treatise on devotion, ambition, survival and a mother’s love. Marcia Garcia is a gifted seamstress who creates beauty with her needle, yet struggles to bring together the pieces of her life. Read it, weep – and rejoice.”

–FAMILY CIRCLE Magazine, May, 2014

Secrets are unveiled

“In her debut novel,’Til the Well Runs Dry (Henry Holt), Lauren Francis-Sharma tells the story of a young Trinidadian woman who finds love in an unlikely suitor. As the couple goes through courtship and eventually enters a serious relationship, secrets are unveiled and transgressions arise, all working to sever their seemingly unbreakable tie.”

–EBONY Magazine, May, 2014

Family Roots

“The story was inspired by Francis-Sharma’s desire to know more about her family’s roots in Trinidad, and its immigration to New York; she effectively evokes that longing to belong, to live a good life, both in the tiny villages in sunny, colorful Trinidad, and in the bustling yet impersonal cacophony of New York.”

–historicalnovelsociety.com

Draws you in

“Francis-Sharma’s debut draws you in, and the feelings it evokes stay with you long after you put it down.”

–bookreporter.com, April, 2014

Power and race

“The various strands of the story come together to illuminate how power and race can warp a life.”

— Library Journal