Retro #BookReview: The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan
This was a little bit of a disappointment.
My Thoughts
If you pick this up thinking it’s a charming fantasy or even a gothic horror novel you may be disappointed. Like Kiernan’s The Red Tree (which I loved), it has eerie leanings but at its core it's more an intimate and unflinching look at a person’s struggle with insanity. It revisits several of the same themes within The Red Tree but it takes them further and, as much as I tried and wanted to love this one just as much, in the end it just didn’t work as well for me.
Told in first person, India (Imp) is the unreliable narrator. She starts the book saying it will be a “ghost story with a mermaid and a werewolf”. And though it does visit those themes, this book is really a memoir written by Imp as she attempts to maneuver her way through her memories which may or may not be real because she suffers from schizophrenia. She often admits to lying and the reader is left to piece together what is truth and what is a lie.
I fell into Imp’s story in the early chapters as Imp recalled her past, explains of the madness that has been passed down to her and tells the story of how she met her lover Abalyn. But as the story progressed and drifted off into many side stories and tangents I found myself slowly drifting away. Somewhere at the midway point I didn’t feel as if I could trust anything Imp was telling me and I also felt quite lost and never really regained my footing. Imp admits she is confused and though I sympathized with her, I also felt frustrated and confused trying to decipher and make sense of her thoughts. This is a book that doesn’t go down easy and may take further readings to comprehend. At least it was that way for me. As much as I love Kiernan’s lyrical and dream-like writing, I have to admit that this book was too much work once it hit the midway mark. It makes me almost sad to admit that. Maybe someday I’ll give it another go and maybe then I’ll be able to wrap my head around it all. Or maybe not.
I listened to this story as an unabridged audio read by Suzy Jackson who does a great job with the material. She manages to sound young but not too young and feels genuinely at home in the character of Imp. There aren’t too many characters in Imp’s world but she manages to give them all a unique voice that suits each of them.
The Drowning Girl by Caitliln R. Kiernan, Narrated by Suzy Jackson
Dark Fiction Audiobook
Amazon ♦ Goodreads
Dark Fiction Audiobook
Amazon ♦ Goodreads
India Morgan Phelps - Imp to her friends - is schizophrenic. Struggling with her perceptions of reality, Imp must uncover the truth about her encounters with creatures out of myth - or from somewhere far, far stranger...
My Thoughts
If you pick this up thinking it’s a charming fantasy or even a gothic horror novel you may be disappointed. Like Kiernan’s The Red Tree (which I loved), it has eerie leanings but at its core it's more an intimate and unflinching look at a person’s struggle with insanity. It revisits several of the same themes within The Red Tree but it takes them further and, as much as I tried and wanted to love this one just as much, in the end it just didn’t work as well for me.
Told in first person, India (Imp) is the unreliable narrator. She starts the book saying it will be a “ghost story with a mermaid and a werewolf”. And though it does visit those themes, this book is really a memoir written by Imp as she attempts to maneuver her way through her memories which may or may not be real because she suffers from schizophrenia. She often admits to lying and the reader is left to piece together what is truth and what is a lie.
I fell into Imp’s story in the early chapters as Imp recalled her past, explains of the madness that has been passed down to her and tells the story of how she met her lover Abalyn. But as the story progressed and drifted off into many side stories and tangents I found myself slowly drifting away. Somewhere at the midway point I didn’t feel as if I could trust anything Imp was telling me and I also felt quite lost and never really regained my footing. Imp admits she is confused and though I sympathized with her, I also felt frustrated and confused trying to decipher and make sense of her thoughts. This is a book that doesn’t go down easy and may take further readings to comprehend. At least it was that way for me. As much as I love Kiernan’s lyrical and dream-like writing, I have to admit that this book was too much work once it hit the midway mark. It makes me almost sad to admit that. Maybe someday I’ll give it another go and maybe then I’ll be able to wrap my head around it all. Or maybe not.
I listened to this story as an unabridged audio read by Suzy Jackson who does a great job with the material. She manages to sound young but not too young and feels genuinely at home in the character of Imp. There aren’t too many characters in Imp’s world but she manages to give them all a unique voice that suits each of them.
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| Originally Read June 2013 |
That is a lot different from what I usually read. Sounds like it could be interesting.
ReplyDeleteGive it a shot. Kiernan has a real dream-like quality about her work. I'd suggest starting with The Red Tree though. That one is my favorite.
DeleteI don't think I want to have to work that hard to make it through a book. (Especially when I'm already running tired because of the time change last Sunday.)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's definitely not easy reading.
DeleteThis sounds interesting but I do like a book to hold my attention. I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the narrator.
ReplyDeleteYes, she was excellent. I need to find more of her work!
DeleteWell, at least it doesn't seem like a total waste of time.
ReplyDeleteI've read some stinkers in my time, so nah!
DeleteI have tried the author but didn't really like the books. I never read this one but I can't remember which I did read.
ReplyDeleteHer dreamy style is most definitely not for all. I have to read her when I'm in a certain mood.
DeleteSounds interesting, the way it seems to blur the line between reality and fantasy? But yeah, when a book reaches the point where you're just entirely lost, it is just frustrating. I've had that happen with other books.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it went too far. I don't mind being lost for a little bit but not hopelessly lost until the end.
DeleteI sort of got sidetracked by the little kitten at the bottom of your post lol It's so cute! *boop*
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
Ha, that's my evil Patrick when he was a wee baby!
Delete