When to Go Into the Water

At times a Dickensian tale of a poor boy made good, at other times an exploration of the intricate relations between writers and their readers, this inventive novel spans nearly two centuries, following the life of the little-known author Hector de Saint-Aureole and the impact of his self-published autobiography on those to whom the book finds its way. The narrative form is an ongoing series of intertwined shorts with six photographic interludes. The worldwide settings range from early twentieth-century France to the future United States of the year 2059, when books have become nearly obsolete. The shifting points-of-view include those of Saint-Aureole, his wife, his daughter, and his assorted readers. There are also visitations to Saint-Aureole by Jesus Christ and the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Those familiar with Lawrence Sutin's innovative illustrated autobiography, A Postcard Memoir, or his biographies of the enigmatic authors Philip K. Dick and Aleister Crowley, will be delighted to find past themes newly explored in a richly evocative novel. Those new to Sutin will find When to Go into Water a fascinating introduction to an author who delights in the strange and the whimsical.