Grasping at Water

Praise for Carmel Bendon

Carmel Bendon’s superb novel takes the reader from the most intriguing premise into a world of mysterious possibility that skirts mysticism, the limits of spirituality and the different ways in which we all approach the truth. In a world of carefully spun stories that are whispered in dreams and to doctors and nuns, can we ever really reach a rational conclusion in a world where nothing can ever be certain? And can we ever firmly conclude the facts that lie at the heart of fantasies? This is a tremendous, playful and richly poetic book that speaks to the storyteller inside all of us.

Walter Mason, author of Destination Saigon and Destination Cambodia

Grasping at Water beguiles with its strong sense of mystery, history, character and place. When an inscrutable young woman is plucked, alive, from the glistening waters of Sydney Harbour, her psychiatrist, Kathryn Brookley, becomes immersed in a tale that defies logic and time. As Kathryn’s quest for truth morphs into a voyage of self discovery, this spiritual page-turner draws you under its spell.

Michele Seminara, Verity La

Finely written historical mysticism entwined with a modern mystery, Carmel Bendon’s stunning debut sizzles with originality and intrigue. Grasping at Water is the thinking-person’s thriller that’s sure to whet the literary appetites of readers the world over.

Amanda Hickey, journalist and filmmaker