4: "El país del agua" by Jacqueline Balcells

Today I’ll talk about a book that I liked it too much during my childhood, I had to read it for school, I remember that my aunt gave me as a gift, more or less when I was 10 years. This book is named “El país del agua” and the author is Jacqueline Balcells. The book tells the story of a family that have a hard choice to make, choose their next holidays place, finally coming up with the idea of go to all of the proposed places by the sons of the family (lake, river and beach). Already in their first holiday days in the lake, things didn’t come as they were expected due to the rain that hasn’t stop since they arrived. The daughter in the middle of the family named Peregrina, sad for the situation, meet an old woman who tells her about the lake Ondina and its disappearance, and for this, the cause of the rain. The girl disposes to investigate about this, being pointed out as someone weird by her old brother and her friends. Finally, she finds the Ondina, who tells her that she doesn’t remember herself, as the days go by, others events that will include mysterious and magic elements in the story happen, so they finally involve Peregrina’s entire family into the Ondina’s tale, whom Peregrina promised to help.

I loved the book when I read it for the first time, because of the everyday story mixed with magic elements that caught me right away. I think that there’s a clear message about the nature’s care and it is through this story I could reflect about the damage the mankind causes or it could cause to this nature that is found full of wonders.

My favorite book quote is:

“— The damn human race! —he roared— Everything they dirty, everything they degrade, everything they corrupt! Our sacred bay is their fair and garbage disposal! Our divine myths are their slogans and cartoons!