Into the Water

Spoiler Alert: Everything comes full circle eventually.

______________________________________________________________

A truly haunting and fascinating read, fans of Paula Hawkins will certainly not be disappointed. Telling the story of the many mysteries in the gloomy and peculiar Beckford, as well as the handful of intertwined characters that inhabit it, Into the Water is a face-paced thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. The town of Beckford is shrouded in mystery as a result of its dark past -- its main claim to infamy is being the home of the "Drowning Pool" a deep swimming hole that has claimed the lives of many women throughout the years. When Jules Abbott finds that her sister too has fallen victim to this time-honored death, she is forced to return home and slowly put the pieces together of what happened all those many years ago. Beautifully woven together through multiple perspectives and flashing to stories of past women who also lost their life to the Drowning Pool, this book was quite literally impossible to put down. Although I admit that it was a bit difficult at times to keep track of the many different characters and switching perspectives, it ultimately added many dimensions to an already strong murder-mystery. Each character, no matter how minor, was incredibly well-crafted and compelling. Whether readers were meant to hate or love them, we were able to do so fiercely. With strong writing and intelligent dialogue, each person and each perspective seemed believable and genuine -- making the story altogether more frightening. I personally found myself drawn to the character of Lena Abbott, the niece of Jules. Having lost her mother and best friend to the Drowning Pool, it is no surprise that Lena is the keeper of many secrets throughout the story. Despite an ornery and closed off exterior, Lena ultimately proves herself to be a strong and loyal friend and an admirable character. She cares deeply about the people around her and fights for justice in the end. While I wish I could say more, I can ensure readers that her story arc was a satisfying one. The book additionally dealt with intriguing themes such as loss, adolescence, marriage, and family strife, adding even more facets to the complex story. The book also highlighted the common themes throughout the history of Beckford -- primarily by telling the many stories of the women and the ways they lost their life. Although told in third person, these accounts were perhaps my favorite part of the book. I was especially struck by the perpetual motif of the water, or the idea of always being "in too deep." I found that the death each woman faced in the Drowning Pool was incredibly reflective of the life they led. While I recognize that sounds quite cryptic, all I will say is that some women were dead far before they actually drowned. Both fear-inducing and breath-taking, this was a read in one sitting type of book. I deeply enjoyed this story about the town of sisterhood and secrets -- and at the jaw-dropping conclusion, I finally realized that the answers had been in front of me the whole time, I only had to look to the past.

---

Favorite Quotes: “Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath.” ~~ “The things I want to remember I can't, and the things I try so hard to forget just keep coming.” ~~ “She felt it when she woke, not a presence but an absence.” ~~ “No one liked to think about the fact that the water in that river was infected with the blood and bile of persecuted women, unhappy women; they drank it every day.” ~~ “Lena's voice grew cold. "I don't understand you. I don't understand people like you, who always choose to blame the woman. If there's two people doing something wrong and one of them's a girl, it's got to be her fault, right?” ~~ “We tell our stories differently, don't we, you and I?”