Waterland Apr 2026

Tom recounts his adolescence during WWII in the Fens. He, his mentally challenged brother Dick , his girlfriend Mary , and another boy named Freddie Parr navigate the "waterlogged terrain". The plot involves sexual curiosity, murder (Freddie is killed), a grisly back-alley abortion for Mary, and a dark family secret involving incest.

Tom's older, mentally disabled brother. He is a local legend for his strength in the water, but is haunted by his parentage (he is the product of incest between his mother and grandfather). Waterland

The narrator and protagonist. A history teacher who believes that to understand the present, one must look at the past, although his faith in history is shaken by personal tragedies. Tom recounts his adolescence during WWII in the Fens