“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.”
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
“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
“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
“[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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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
“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.”
“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
“‘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
“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.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
