Member Review

A Study in Drowning is Ava Reid’s newest novel, and it follows Effy Sayre, an architecture student, after she wins the chance to plan the rebuilding of her favorite author’s home, the late Emrys Myrddin, famous for his book, Angharad. But Effy’s not the only student who finds themself at Myrddin’s home; upon arriving, she meets Preston Héloury, who’s researching into the validity of Angharad’s authorship, and who drives Effy mad while she discovers who the man behind her favorite story is—and learns that sometimes, our heroes aren’t always who we thought they were.

Set on a crumbling cliff beside the sea, A Study in Drowning is an atmospheric masterpiece that had me peeking around the corners as I was reading, afraid that the monsters and ghouls hiding in Effy’s story might be lurking around my home, too. It reminded me of the seaside home that Erin A. Craig writes in House of Salt and Sorrow, tips me over the edge in the same way and has me wondering what’s happening with our less than reliable narrators and the life that’s crumbling around them. The drowning metaphor in A Study in Drowning worked so well, and Reid used it in different ways, with the Drowning, a flood that washed away part of Llyr and is said to be coming again, the country the story takes place in; with Effy’s own emotional state; with the fates that some characters face, and with items Effy needs to become the hero of the story.

I also loved Preston. I pictured him as this lovable nerd who doesn’t trust easily, and Effy really didn’t give him a reason to like her at the beginning, but they grew together and I loved that, especially considering Effy’s history in the story and how women are treated in the story by men, because the society is very patriarchal. I loved all the feminist bits as well, and when the ending came along, I wasn’t wholly surprised that the women were the winners in the end. The politics of it all was simple and sort of in the backdrop, but just the right amount of breadcrumbs were left for it to tie up nicely together in the end.

If you’re looking for an eerie book with a creeping spookiness and a dash of dark academia this fall, A Study in Drowning is the perfect story to pick up with a cup of coffee (or scotch) and curl up with on the couch—but I suggest reading it during the daytime and away from the sea, or anywhere else you may feel the lingering lurking of magic and madness.