The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

A fun story with some intriguing concepts to think about. I don’t think that I’ve ever read historical fiction with a mystical twist before, but I loved it.

I enjoyed the metaphor of the sweetwater, the way that it soaks up people’s feelings/attitudes and reflects them back. The only way to keep trouble at bay is for someone to absorb the water’s negativity and reflect positivity in return. To receive that kind of treatment from another person feels luxurious to me.

One bit that stuck out to me is that the hotel gives people luxury whether they deserve it or not. That’s hard to do; the staff finds that the best way is to remain ignorant of guests’ lives outside the hotel. But I think we all ought to try to do it more.

I’m not quite sure how to describe Stiefvater’s style. It feels a bit tantalizing, with little hints dropped here and there about things that seem interesting and important but have not yet been explained. I enjoyed it. It feels appropriate to the story and makes discovering the characters’ backstories exciting.