This was a bit different from what I normally read but I enjoyed it. I liked the vaguely magically elements and centering of queer characters without the need to really define them - it felt pretty true to the time period and characters. The writing and pacing were good. Overall it was a pretty unique story and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely read more from this author.

The Cure for Drowning deserves every accolade thrown its way, and I really wish it had won the Giller. The ache that took up residence in my chest while I read this novel was almost overwhelming.

This historical fiction novel has aspects of legend and magic in it, but it's primarily the story of two people, Kathleen "Kit" McNair and Rebekah Kromer, prior, during and after World War II.

Born Kathleen, Kit and their older brother Landon, younger brother Jep and their parents live on a farm in a small community called Harrichford (fictional) in Ontario. It's a hard life, and when Kathleen was young, she survived a near drowning. Subsequently, she became prone to explosive anger, and was no longer interested in conforming as a girl. Instead, she begin living as much as a boy as she could and wanted to be called Kit.

Rebekah and her German-born parents arrive from Montreal, with her father setting up his medical practice, eager to start over after becoming ostracized in Montreal because of his background. The two families meet after an accident, and both Kit and Landon fall for Rebekah. This causes friction between the siblings, but there is also the growing bigotry against Germans that convinces the Kromer family to leave town, with Rebekah's parents thinking she and Landon may have made a match otherwise. Unbeknownst to her parents, Rebekah has fallen for Kit.

With their departure, Landon joins up, and Kit runs away, also joining up with the Allied Armed Forces; Landon becomes a sailor in the North Atlantic, while Kit, now Christopher, becomes a bomber navigator. Rebekah meanwhile also joins up as a signals clerk in the Maritimes. When on leave, Landon and Rebekah meet, and have a passionate night together; subsequently, she's kicked out of her job, and at loose ends and needing help.

Author Loghan Paylor has created a compelling story of two young people, neither of whom conforms to what society wants, and who find each other, then lose each other, separated by distance and by war.

Paylor shows us the dangers Kit lives through on their missions, as well as the camaraderie between Christopher and his crewmates, and the ever present danger of being found out. There are instances of bigotry before the war ends and Kit returns home to sadness and unexpected changes.

The writing was great, and kept me hooked. There is tragedy, but I am so glad that the story wraps up in a happy way. The magic realism is present, mostly lightly, in the story, though there is one sequence that is fantastic, and shows the visceral, powerful connection between Rebekah and Kit.

I was impressed by this novel, and look forward to reading more stories from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was a deeply moving sapphic story.
Set against the backdrop of WW2 and told by two Canadians, struggling to find a place in this world.
This is a beautiful story of struggle, survival, and hope.

I will recommend this book every day!

DNF
i could not get in to this
i tried probably on 3 separate occasions and i just could not find myself interested in the story or the characters

I really enjoyed this book and it was hard to put down! I love the way the characters are written and how we get to see all their flaws (also the queer rep was amazing!)!
Thank to NetGalley for the ARC, I can't wait to see what other readers think when the book comes out :)

a canadian historical queer "fantasy" novel, what a combo. A historical novel set in Canada amidst WWII situation. the love triangle between Kit, Rebekah and Landon would keep you on your seat. the two brothers have distinct ways to show their love and interests on Rebekah. the story has some fantasy elements to it, like mermaids/selkie.

A stunning debut!

Canadian, LGBTQIA+, historical references coupled with Sci Fi and Fantasy, and a touch of magic!

This is a masterclass in writing a unique story with various elements that were done in just the right amounts and married with complex characters and engaging plotting.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book . I have never read a book like this before . I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters.

I’ve already bought this book for so many friends. It’s not often we get a book that looks at queer history in Canada so I just ate this up and could not stop talking about it. It feels like the rare instance of the perfect book coming out at the perfect time for society. I hope this book wins all the awards, it is just perfection. No notes.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

This book gave me the creeps but I really liked it. It was unexpected in a lot of ways. I loved the way the author wrote the characters. There was a bit of an eerieness to the families past but it unfolded in a very interesting way.

This book is a gem! It perfectly blends Can-lit historical fiction with a rural setting, a queer love story, and a touch of the supernatural. Set partly in Halifax, it captivated me from start to finish with its multi-dimensional characters and engaging plot. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great read!

A queer, Canadian coming of age story; what's not to love? I truly have no notes. I was completely engrossed in the story and loved every minute of it.

A fabulous debut novel, the first of what I hope is many more to come from this author. The plot and pacing were well done. I found the beginning a little slow, but it quickly picked up. Kit and Rebekah were such memorable characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with them. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the chance to read this title.

* Thank you Netgalley for this copy *

This was a beautifully told sapphic romance/historical fiction. I loved the magician realism woven into the story

I came across the opportunity to read this book through Netgalley. I read the description and saw that the categories were LGBTQIAP+, Sci Fi and Fantasy, and I was intrigued. This novel is one-of-a-kind in my books. I’ve read nothing like it. It dips into a couple of different genres and does it well. It’s all about love, war, growing up, heartache, family, and more. The imagery within and the voices of the characters were a wonderful combination. I highly recommend!

#happyreading #debutnovel #randomhousecanada #netgalley #loghanpaylor #lovestory #historicalfiction #queerness #queercharacters #nonbinary #family #love #farmlife #war #vivid #powerful #engrossing

God I really enjoyed this book. 11/10

The pacing was really good and there wasn’t really a Plot but the different small arcs throughout were all really good. The tension, suspense, heartbreak, romance, and joy — all of it was palpable. I felt every emotion that Rebekah and Chris felt. When they cried, I cried; when they had soft, emotional, romantic moments, I melted. The writing made everything feel so visceral. I loved the writing style and its vibrant and deep descriptions. It really painted the happenings of the book in my head with great ease.

There was a number of queer characters throughout the book, and it was heartbreaking how they either hid their queerness or refused to even pursue queer romantic or sexual relationships for fear of persecution. The book was, for the most part, accurate for the time it was set in.

I enjoyed both Kit/Chris and Rebekah’s POVs. As a queer trans person, following them as they grew and found themselves— Kit as he became Chris, Rebekah as she came to terms with her identity and feelings over both Landon and Chris— felt validating. I really connected with both of them and their struggles as queer people growing up and living in and trying to fit in in a world that isn’t exactly as accepting as they’d like it to be.

I hated Landon. Absolutely loathed. There was rarely a moment I liked him after the first chapter or so. He was very selfish and callous towards both Chris and Rebekah. There were many times I wanted to reach into the pages and shake him. There was no attempt at redemption for him and that felt so true to real life. Also I didn’t think he deserved forgiveness for just how shitty he’d been to Chris.

The ending was satisfying. With the epilogue, all the loose threads were tied up, or continued on in an uplifting way that felt like a good spot to end.

Absolutely going to read this book again.

I wish I could like this book more, but I'm just happy to be done with it.

It is a debut novel, so maybe it is a matter for the writer to find their footing, but I find the book to be too infantile even when it is touching serious topics. Based mostly on romance, I faced difficulty going through all of its configurations. I am a queer folk from a big city, so maybe can't relate to described struggles of Kit, but their story resembles some weird outdated textbook not many people I know could learn much from. Too many things here have been written already and tho idea for the novel felt fantastic when I signed up for it, in my opinion, it wasn't utilized well.

At some point writing is losing the intimacy and depicted events feel like an unnecessary blockbuster mash. I wish it would remain smaller in scale and more mature when the author hits the right notes on delicacy in human connections.

The Cure for Drowning is such a beautiful and heart wrenching story. I was immediately drawn in by Kit, and found myself very invested in their outcome. I love this coming-of-age novel about personal growth and development, love and loss, hatred and acceptance.
The story alternates between Kit and Rebekah's POV's starting in 1931 and finishing in 1953. Rebekah's life was not without its own struggles and triumphs. Living in Canada with a German last name during WWII wasn't easy, and she had to deal with her own situations of hatred and acceptance for that and other reasons I will not mention so as not to spoil the book.
I cannot recommend this novel enough. It is a truly wonderful debut by the talented Queer Trans Author, Lohgan Paylor. I literally cannot wait to read what they write next!