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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Really interesting. I was dying to know what happened. Ending sucked.
Well-written! Was a page turner for sure, a book I couldn't wait to get back to when I wasn't reading it. Great twist! Highly recommend.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
The Drowning by JP Smith was a book I really enjoyed. I loved the darkness and the secrecy surrounding the main character and I loved the twist at the end.
I would definitely recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.
I would definitely recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it was a decent book, outside of my comfort zone for spooky season. pretty easy read, just didn’t end how i expected and wasn’t as satisfying as i wanted. also never hated a main character like i hated alex, 3.5.
‘Joey must have moved the moment the shutter opened. Because his face, out of all the others, was slightly blurred. As if he were already existing in another time, midway between life and death.’
Alex Mason has everything he ever wanted. He’s a successful, well-respected, property developer – a self-made man, living in a million dollar home, with his beautiful blonde wife, and two adoring daughters. But someone is intent on destroying Alex’s ‘picture perfect’ life. Because Alex has a secret – one in particular that could ruin him if it ever became public. Twenty-one years ago, when he was working as a swimming counsellor at Camp Waukeelo, he challenged his campers to swim out to a raft, and back. When eight year-old, Joey Proctor, unable to swim, and deathly afraid of deep water, refused, Alex dragged him out to the raft, and told him that his only way back was to toughen up and swim. Then, he left him there, alone in the middle of the lake. And that was the last time Joey Proctor was ever seen. Or, was it?
There’s nothing quite like a good revenge story. This was a sinfully delicious read from start to finish. But, it was the ending that really stood out – talk about clever! You got me, J. P. Smith, well played! I’m still theorising over it. But, and this is a big but, you were left with questions and ambiguity, which may not sit well with some readers. I thought it was brilliant! I’m kicking myself that I didn’t figure it out earlier, as the clues were there.
When the harassment towards Alex first started, I liked how the scares resembled childlike pranks, like something an actual eight year-old would do, as if, if it were really Joey behind it, then he hadn’t aged a day since he disappeared – gave me chills! The telling of the campfire legend in the opening chapter, bouncing from one camp counsellor to another, at different points in the tale, was ingenious and creepy.
Alex was an arrogant, self-centered, despicable character, who felt little remorse or responsibility for his part in Joey’s disappearance, believing his only crime was forgetting Joey for a few hours, and that whatever happened to the boy after that point was not his fault. Not only that, when he’s first threatened, it takes him a while to even recall what he did to Joey as a possible reason for someone wanting to harm him. There are advantages to novels where the revenge directed at the protagonist is well-deserved. I couldn’t help relishing what was in store Alex, and anticipating how far things were going to escalate, and what Alex’s reactions would be. But, there were some tense and worrying moments, involving Alex’s wife, and daughters, characters I definitely cared about, and didn’t want to see harmed.
I wasn’t overly fond of the dream-like writing style in Part 1 (the chapters set at camp). I understand why it was intended to be purposely vague, and ominous, but I thought it was too rushed. For example, the scene where Alex and Joey have their altercation in the water, ending with Joey being left on the raft, it’s unclear what happened to the other campers? All of a sudden, it’s just the two of them. The other kids must’ve gone back to camp, but it didn’t seem like enough time had passed for them to complete their own swims out to the raft, pack up, and leave. I needed that extra detail to properly visualise events. There were also instances where it was unclear which characters were present in a scene, and who was speaking. Chapter 6 had me swiping back several pages to make sense of one part. I did figure it out, but only on my third read through. This only applies to Part 1 (the first 12%) – I had no issues with how the rest of the book was written.
Recommended to those who enjoying their mystery/suspense with a dose of surrealism.
I'd like to thank Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and J.P. Smith for the opportunity to read, and review, a digital copy of this book.
US Release Date: 1st January, 2019. (Out Now!)
Alex Mason has everything he ever wanted. He’s a successful, well-respected, property developer – a self-made man, living in a million dollar home, with his beautiful blonde wife, and two adoring daughters. But someone is intent on destroying Alex’s ‘picture perfect’ life. Because Alex has a secret – one in particular that could ruin him if it ever became public. Twenty-one years ago, when he was working as a swimming counsellor at Camp Waukeelo, he challenged his campers to swim out to a raft, and back. When eight year-old, Joey Proctor, unable to swim, and deathly afraid of deep water, refused, Alex dragged him out to the raft, and told him that his only way back was to toughen up and swim. Then, he left him there, alone in the middle of the lake. And that was the last time Joey Proctor was ever seen. Or, was it?
There’s nothing quite like a good revenge story. This was a sinfully delicious read from start to finish. But, it was the ending that really stood out – talk about clever! You got me, J. P. Smith, well played! I’m still theorising over it. But, and this is a big but, you were left with questions and ambiguity, which may not sit well with some readers. I thought it was brilliant! I’m kicking myself that I didn’t figure it out earlier, as the clues were there.
When the harassment towards Alex first started, I liked how the scares resembled childlike pranks, like something an actual eight year-old would do, as if, if it were really Joey behind it, then he hadn’t aged a day since he disappeared – gave me chills! The telling of the campfire legend in the opening chapter, bouncing from one camp counsellor to another, at different points in the tale, was ingenious and creepy.
Alex was an arrogant, self-centered, despicable character, who felt little remorse or responsibility for his part in Joey’s disappearance, believing his only crime was forgetting Joey for a few hours, and that whatever happened to the boy after that point was not his fault. Not only that, when he’s first threatened, it takes him a while to even recall what he did to Joey as a possible reason for someone wanting to harm him. There are advantages to novels where the revenge directed at the protagonist is well-deserved. I couldn’t help relishing what was in store Alex, and anticipating how far things were going to escalate, and what Alex’s reactions would be. But, there were some tense and worrying moments, involving Alex’s wife, and daughters, characters I definitely cared about, and didn’t want to see harmed.
I wasn’t overly fond of the dream-like writing style in Part 1 (the chapters set at camp). I understand why it was intended to be purposely vague, and ominous, but I thought it was too rushed. For example, the scene where Alex and Joey have their altercation in the water, ending with Joey being left on the raft, it’s unclear what happened to the other campers? All of a sudden, it’s just the two of them. The other kids must’ve gone back to camp, but it didn’t seem like enough time had passed for them to complete their own swims out to the raft, pack up, and leave. I needed that extra detail to properly visualise events. There were also instances where it was unclear which characters were present in a scene, and who was speaking. Chapter 6 had me swiping back several pages to make sense of one part. I did figure it out, but only on my third read through. This only applies to Part 1 (the first 12%) – I had no issues with how the rest of the book was written.
Recommended to those who enjoying their mystery/suspense with a dose of surrealism.
I'd like to thank Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and J.P. Smith for the opportunity to read, and review, a digital copy of this book.
US Release Date: 1st January, 2019. (Out Now!)
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced