Friday, September 8, 2017

Review: Into The Water

Into The Water
Paula Hawkins
Published May 2, 2017
A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.

Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return.

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present.

Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath.
- from Goodreads
When I read The Girl on the Train, I was mesmerized.  I couldn't stop reading - the tension, the suspense - I had to know what would happen next, even if it meant being late for work or losing a couple hours of sleep.  So when I heard Paula Hawkins was releasing her second novel, I was super excited.

Into The Water is about the aftermath of the death of Nel, a single mother.  Nel's body is found in the same river where a girl, Katie, was found earlier in the year; Katie just happened to be best friends with Nel's daughter Lena.

At the beginning, the story is very quick-moving; I was anxious to get into the story and find out more about Nel.  Although there was a feeling of suspense, it's not overwhelming and actually, I felt the story was more eerie and melancholy.

The standout in this book is the use of multiple narrators.  I think there were 10 narrators and each one had their own distinct voice.  Nel's daughter Lena is angry; Nel's sister Jules seemed a bit confused and unreliable, often confusing Lena for her deceased sister.  Other characters include two local detectives and Katie's grief-stricken mother.  I enjoyed this narration device; it showed that there are so many sides to any story.  Each character had their own theory about Nel's death; Lena insists her mother committed suicide, but others believe Nel wouldn't have done that.  And in this small town, everyone is connected in some way, and everyone is hiding something.

Another interesting part of the story is the local lore around a spot called the Drowning Pool.  Nel was obsessed with this place and was compiling historical anecdotes about all the woman who were either killed or committed suicide there through the years.  I like when a setting is a big part of a story, almost becoming its own character. 

Although the book started out strong, by the end it was starting to drag a bit for me.  I just wanted to know what happened to Nel, and all the misdirections and lies started to feel like overkill.  But, I enjoyed the overall feel of the book and the mysteries within.  Inevitably, this book will be compared to Hawkins' first monster hit, but this was a very different book and I wouldn't go into it with any preconceived notions, if you can!

4 stars

18 comments:

  1. I have had this since it came out and kind of put it off. I heard so many mixed reviews that I wasn't sure. I do think I will get to it and glad to see you enjoyed it overall. Great review!

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    1. Thanks! I also saw a lot of mixed reviews, but I tried going in with an open mind.

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  2. Great review! I really liked this book as well! I loved the suspense of The Girl on the Train but I also loved the atmospheric character study of Into the Water! Can't wait to see what Hawkins will write next!

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    1. Yes, I was glad to see she went in a different direction although it was still a bit of a thriller!

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  3. I was wondering about this one! Nice that it was different from the first one, not just a re- tread, and I like the sound of the eerie tone! The drowning Pool- that sounds cool too. I know not everyone liked multiple narrators but I don't mind if it's done well.

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    1. I liked the multiple narrator approach - I liked seeing the story from so many different sides.

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  4. Great review! I was also mesmerized by TGOTT, and I'm so glad you thought this was excellent too. A pity about the dragging towards the end, though :(

    Amy @ A Magical World Of Words

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, it did drag a bit, but the very end was a bit of a surprise.

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  5. I've been eyeing this one but have been a little hesitant since I wasn't a huge fan of The Girl on the Train. This one actually sounds like it might be better though so I may go ahead and read it. Great review!

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    1. Thanks! I would recommend it. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings, but I enjoyed it.

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  6. 10 narrators?! That's kind over overwhelming to think about, but I'm happy to hear all were distinctive. I love thriller type reads, and while I haven't read any of Paula's books before, they're on my radar. Great review, Angela! :)

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    1. Thanks! I've loved both her books so far, and I hope you enjoy them, too!

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  7. You just convinced me to read it because it has so many narrators. Will definitely keep an eye out for it next time I visit the bookstore.

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  8. Oh wow, 10 narrators! I did not expect that. I am curious about the premise behind this, but 10 narrators is perhaps too much for me. Thank you for the awesome review though!

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    1. Thank you! I can see how it would be overwhelming but the multiple narrator approach worked here.

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  9. So sorry I've been absent for a while..On my PC for some reason I couldn't comment on blogger comment box :/ clearing cache and temp files has solved the issue..i don't know how though :P This book sounds amazing! I haven't read any of her books but they all have interesting premises! :)

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    1. That's ok, Uma! I find I have issues with some comment boxes on my home computer.

      Hawkins definitely has some good mysteries!

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!