Marianne Wiggins’ final masterwork， an American epic that should stand alongside the classics。

Set in the California desert over the course of World War II， Properties of Thirst follows members of a ranching family and the people that come into their lives over the course of the war， including LA watermen， Department of Interior workers， and Japanese-American internees， as they all grapple with love， loss， and an ever-changing American landscape。

Rocky Rhodes has spent years fiercely protecting his California ranch in Three Chairs from the LA Water Corporation。 It is here where he and his beloved wife Lou raised his twins， Stryker and Sunny。 When Lou dies of polio， Rocky's world is thrown into disarray。

Years later， Rocky is still in mourning。 And when bombs strike Pearl Harbor—where Stryker has recently been deployed—Rocky and his family find themselves once again facing an incomprehensible loss。

Not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor， Schiff， an envoy for the Department of the Interior， arrives in Three Chairs， tasked with the building of a Japanese-Interment camp next to Rocky’s ranch。 Soon， Schiff begins to understand the horror of what he’s been asked to do， and his belief in the American Dream begins to waver。 Matters are further complicated he becomes infatuated by a woman his polar opposite—Rocky’s daughter， Sunny。 As Schiff becomes entangled in their lives， he realizes he may just be the person who saves them - and his country - if he plays his hand right。

Properties of Thirst is a love story， a family story， and an interrogation of one of the darkest periods in our shared history。 It is a novel that will help to define the post-war period of American history。