“Watermark is a powerful novel about the destructive forces unleashed by ignorance and superstition.  Readers will care deeply for the courageous Auda.”
—New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman

Watermark is a magnificent debut by Vanitha Sankaran—an atmospheric and compelling novel about the search for identity, the power of self-expression, and value of the written word, set during the dark days of the Inquisition in Medieval France. Readers who were captivated by The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease or Geraldine Brooks’s People of the Book will be enthralled by this thrilling journey to a colorful and dangerous past.

“Watermark is a powerful novel about the destructive forces unleashed by ignorance and superstition.  Readers will care deeply for the courageous Auda, who finds love where she least expects it, in the shadow of the Inquisition.” — New York Times bestselling author Sharon Kay Penman

“This debut historical ... has potential for book club discussions and will appeal to readers of medieval historical fiction.” — Library Journal

“A story that will keep the reader up at night...” — Laurel Corona

Sankaran deftly illuminates a time of intellectual darkness in this superbly rendered debut. — Booklist

“Sankaran has created a likable, easy-to-root-for protagonist in Auda.” — Publishers Weekly

Vanitha Sankaran holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University. Her stories have been published in various print and online journals. In addition, she is a founding editor for the literary journal flashquake. She is at work on her second novel, which is about printmaking in Renaissance Venice.