Watermark - by Vanitha Sankaran (Paperback)

About the Book

"Watermark is a powerful novel about the destructive forces unleashed by ignorance and superstition. Readers will care deeply for the courageous Auda."--New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman Watermark is a magnificent debut by Vanitha Sankaran--an atmospheric and compelling novel about the search for identity, the power of self-expression, and value of the written word, set during the dark days of the Inquisition in Medieval France. Readers who were captivated by The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease or Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book will be enthralled by this thrilling journey to a colorful and dangerous past.

Book Synopsis

"Watermark is a powerful novel about the destructive forces unleashed by ignorance and superstition. Readers will care deeply for the courageous Auda."
--New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman

Watermark is a magnificent debut by Vanitha Sankaran--an atmospheric and compelling novel about the search for identity, the power of self-expression, and value of the written word, set during the dark days of the Inquisition in Medieval France. Readers who were captivated by The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease or Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book will be enthralled by this thrilling journey to a colorful and dangerous past.

From the Back Cover

The daughter of a papermaker in a small French village in the year 1320--mute from birth and forced to shun normal society--young Auda finds solace and escape in the wonder of the written word. Believed to be cursed by those who embrace ignorance and superstition, Auda's very survival is a testament to the strength of her spirit. But this is an age of Inquisition and intolerance, when difference and defiance are punishable "sins" and new ideas are considered damnable heresy. When darkness descends upon her world, Auda--newly grown to womanhood--is forced to flee, setting off on a remarkable quest to discover love and a new sense of self . . . and to reclaim her heritage and the small glory of her father's art.

Review Quotes

"Watermark is a powerful novel about the destructive forces unleashed by ignorance and superstition. Readers will care deeply for the courageous Auda, who finds love where she least expects it, in the shadow of the Inquisition." -- New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman

"This debut historical ... has potential for book club discussions and will appeal to readers of medieval historical fiction." -- Library Journal

"A story that will keep the reader up at night..." -- Laurel Corona

Sankaran deftly illuminates a time of intellectual darkness in this superbly rendered debut. -- Booklist

"Sankaran has created a likable, easy-to-root-for protagonist in Auda." -- Publishers Weekly