Drowning Review: Don't judge by the cover

 

a misleading cover

The cover of Drowning did not look nor did the title sound like a book I'd normally buy.  I won a copy and because the book has won awards and is labeled a best seller, I was curious enough to start reading it.  I was immediately drawn into the story and found myself turning back to the book in idle moments:  it was that compelling.  The main character was imperfect alright, but the story never bogged down.  Why was she doing the things she did, why was she acting the way she was?  I thought the pacing of the book was excellent: like a well-written mystery novel the characters' motivations are cleverly revealed at just the right time.  I was never sure where the story was going and I needed to find out.  The descriptions of island life in Washington State and motel life in Phoenix happen to resonate with me.  I could smell the mold of the island house and feel the deep dry heat of the roadway in Phoenix.  The author slipped in some Middle Eastern eggplant recipes, so I overlook a few sentences with wayward commas.  In the original Kindle edition there were massive formatting problems, but those have thankfully since been corrected.

In the end it's a novel about family relationships and the need for honesty.  But it is a suspenseful ride before all is revealed.  It's a book worth buying and reading.