My
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
“In whatever direction you go, somehow you always end
up back at the river.”
Book Description:
Suicide spot or a place to get rid of troublesome women? Writer-photographer
Nel Abbott divided the community when she explored this topic in her manuscript
about the Drowning Pool, a riverbend near the small English town of Beckford. Although
it is a place of undeniable beauty, it also has a dark history, with many women
having lost their lives there, from the time of the witch-hunts to the present.
With teenager Katie Whittaker being the latest suicide victim, Nel’s theories
opened some raw wounds and made her a few enemies. So no one in Beckford is
very surprised when Nel herself ends up drowned, in the very place that held
such fascination for her. The only question is – which category does she fall into?
Did she jump, or did someone get rid of a troublesome woman?
My musings:
With all the hype surrounding this book, and the bookish
community divided in their opinions about Hawkins’ latest offering, I was very
interested to see how this novel would play out for me. Due to a few extra work
commitments, it took a bit longer than usual to get through the audio book, but
I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! Yes, there are A LOT of characters. In
some books, this does not work well for me, especially in the audio version,
where it is impossible to flick back the pages in frustration: “And who is this
character again?” But surprisingly, Hawkins managed to pull this off perfectly.
In this case, for me, the multiple POVs added to the suspense. I felt as if I
was surrounded by hundreds of pieces of a giant jigsaw, each chapter and POV
giving me a tiny piece of the puzzle, which I had to put into its right place
to create a whole. Slowly but steadily the picture formed in my mind,
unravelling the mystery. It shows Hawkins’ skill as a writer to bring all the
pieces together so neatly in the end - very clever!
It is at this point that I must also point out what a
brilliant job all five narrators did, lending an individual voice to each of
their characters and bringing them to life for me. Although none of the
characters are very likeable (and some are downright nasty), their presence
created the chilling atmosphere of a town overshadowed by tragedy. The Drowning
Pool, apart from its geographical presence, became a symbol of a society where dirty
secrets are drowned in silence – pun intended. With a dark and sinister
undercurrent ever present, Hawkins paints the perfect bleak backdrop one comes
to expect from a top-class British mystery – I could picture the wisps of fog
creeping along the river banks at night, a lonely owl hooting in the woods, a
silent figure scaling the cliffs lining the riverbank.
Summary:
Into the Water is a clever, multi-layered and compelling
mystery about small town secrets and relationships, explored through the voices
of many different characters who all play some part in the unexplained drowning
deaths of two local women. If you are looking for a fast-paced read, this may
not be for you, as it moves deliciously slowly, like the deep black waters of
the Drowning Pool itself, the answers to its mysteries mired in the murky
depths of the town’s darkest secrets and biggest shames. But those who enjoy a
dark, atmospheric and character driven read may find that it is exactly what
they have been looking for. I really enjoyed the journey – this time by water
rather than by train - and will be looking forward to reading more from this
talented author.
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