The Drowning Kind

How it reads

The Drowning Kind is horror (supernatural horror, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a rural setting, in the present day, told across two timelines. Its central concerns are family, loss and grief and secrets. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is left open, for you to argue about. At 319 pages it's a quick read. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.