by Charles Martin

Just. So. Good.

There is a community that works a coffee plantation in Central America. There is a wealthy family living in Miami with too much money. There is a lonely soul, too smart for his own good, who doesn’t think he needs a thing. Boats, drugs, mangoes, sweat and water. These are the images stuck in my mind after reading Water From My Heart.

Raw, real and stunningly beautiful, this book is in my top 5 for all time. Disclaimer: I have not read a Charles Martin book I dislike. Not even a little bit, so I’m already kind of a fan. But this book (to me) went far beyond the rest. It is richly textured to the point that I think I can read this book again and again and still appreciate something new for the first time. And I don’t generally re-read books. Already, I’ve read this once (paper version) and also listened to the audible version. Maybe I’ll wait a year and read it on my kindle. I literally cannot get enough of this story.

So why is it continuing to resonate with me like this? It must be the extreme redemption. I mean, the main character is a drug runner. A very rich drug runner. Who could possibly have compassion for such a man? Well, it only takes a chapter or two, trust me. And those chapters fly by.

But this man needs redemption not because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time…no, he personally made choices that rippled so far out, he never would have dreamed how they might have affected another life, much less hundreds of lives. And the redemption road is rough. And crooked. And lined with surprises.

I cannot believe I enjoyed reading about a drug runner. But Martin knows how to write flawed characters worth rooting for. I miss the landscape of this novel and the people. When I read the inspiration for the story, I loved it doubly. It seems that this story was the story of its author’s heart.

Highest possible recommendation. I need at least 10 stars.

Grab your copy here!