The Reservoir Summary

The Reservoir is a novel written by Janet Frame and set in the mid-20th century in a small village in New Zealand. The village has recently witnessed a new development, which is the construction f a modern reservoir with a water treatment plant. The reservoir development is built at the edge of the village. The adult villagers prohibit young children from going near the reservoir. The unnamed narrator is among the children cautioned never to step foot at the reservoir. There are rumors that in recent days, some kids drowned in the reservoir, which is one of the reasons why the narrator and other children are warned not to go near the reservoir.

The narrator and her fellow children play within the allowed areas, but they have unanswered questions about the reservoir that no one cares to answer. Therefore, these children are curious about nature and the environment around them. When schools close, children stay at home, but their holiday is prolonged unexpectedly due to the outbreak of infantile paralysis. As a result, the children opt to play different games, including imitating wives and their husbands and fantasizing about sex and kissing.

A day comes when children find themselves bored because there are no apples to steal or interesting games to play. One of the kids suggests they should disobey orders, visit the reservoir, and see what is there. The narrator is concerned at first about going with other children, and at last, she makes up her mind to accompany them. On their way to the reservoir, the journey is long, but the whispering pine trees that make their journey enjoyable comfort them. All the way, the narrator imagines how the reservoir is dark, big, and dangerous. At last, the children get into the reservoir and realize that it is not dangerous, as claimed by their parents. They play beside the reservoir until it gets dark when they decide to return home.

The adventure ends when the children arrive home, and they are confused about whether to tell their parents about their visit to the reservoir or not. Interestingly, the parents remind children not to get closer to the reservoir. When the narrator's mother tells her to avoid the reservoir, she smiles internally and wonders why her parents are so scared of nothing.