The Drowning Girl

By: Caitlin R. Kiernan

Narrated by: Suzy Jackson

Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning author, narrator, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman personally selected this book, and, using the tools of the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), cast the narrator and produced this work for his audiobook label, Neil Gaiman Presents.

A few words from Neil on The Drowning Girl: "As with all "Neil Gaiman Presents" titles, it's very important to me to find the voice that comes closest to the voice in the author's head; for Caitlin, for this book, that was Suzy Jackson. It was not until the second round of auditions that we found someone who sounded young but not naïve, someone who could catalogue the sharp detail of Imp's carefully observed daily life but also convey the blurred edges of her reality. Caitlin and Suzy kept in touch during the recording, and the result is a reading that is precise but not "stagey", a literary but accessible reading of the novel."

India Morgan Phelps - Imp to her friends - is schizophrenic. Struggling with her perceptions of reality, Imp must uncover the truth about her encounters with creatures out of myth - or from something far, far stranger....

Winner of the 2013 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.

To hear more from Neil Gaiman on The Drowning Girl, click here, or listen to the introduction at the beginning of the book itself.

Learn more about Neil Gaiman Presents and Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).

©2012 Caitlin R. Kiernan (P)2012 Caitlin R Kiernan

Out there on the perimeter!

This is the kind of book I love. It sings a song of dreams and madness, love and the hidden meanings embedded in art. Highly recommended if you like out of the ordinary narratives. Requires a bit of concentration to follow but the narrator is excellent and paces it well. By the end of it I felt I was listening to the voice of a friend! Thanks for bringing forth this gem Mr Gaiman!

huh?

was surprised when it was over. Interesting story although. it was really a dedicated read

Went on a weird trip. Liked where I went.

Would you listen to The Drowning Girl again? Why?

In a heartbeat! It's not every day you can find a book about two artists, three paintings, four deaths, one murder, a cult and a big black eye with a bag of frozen peas on it and have it all fit together.Oh, and there's a really, really, really sweet love story in this. I'm such a sucker for those kind of things (total girl). It's a *different* kind of love to be sure, but it's filled with just as many feels. In fact, if I had to list one complaint it would be that I wanted more everyday stuff between Imp and Abalyn and I didn't get it.

What other book might you compare The Drowning Girl to and why?

1. The Little Mermaid.2. Little Red Riding Hood. 3. The Black Dahlia. But these are just superficial resemblances really. It's so hard to talk about this book in comparison with any other piece because it is just so. damn. unique.I once wrote something about another work by this author that I think is still relevant to her work today :"Caitlin R Keirnan writes the way most people experience dreams. Similarly it it impossible to talk about her books in the same way it is impossible to talk of dreams and have the subject retain it's integrity without reducing it to either inanity or a series or random disconnected images. Reading The Drowning Girl is an exercise in wakeful dreaming."I stand by this statement.

What three words best describe Suzy Jackson’s voice?

Suzy Jackson is a very talented narrator and I would be willing to listen to other books by her. I'm just not sold on her being the right voice for this book. I don't think she has the right grip on what Kiernan is trying to do in her story - I mean this is one of the greater attempts at reinventing the novel this side of the year 2000 and Suzy's voice just sounds too ... oh, I don't know, young-ish? But everyone else here seems to love her for this story, so obviously I'm talking crazy and shouldn't be listened to.

Holy freaking cats this is amazing.

Where does The Drowning Girl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the best audiobook and best adaptation of a book for audio that I have ever listened to. Suzy Jackson's narration turns this wonderful novel into breathtaking dramatic performance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Drowning Girl?

There are too many to count, and I don't want to spoil any of them.

Which character – as performed by Suzy Jackson – was your favorite?

It must be Imp, of course. But Suzy Jackson was fantastic in making each character speak in their own individual voice. If I didn't know otherwise I would have assumed that there were a cast of narrators.

Weird and Powerful

I think I'm going to have to read all of Neil Gaiman Presents books because this was a revelation both in the writing itself and the quality of the narration. I don't remember being this affected by a book, at least not in a long while. I can't exactly say I liked it but I loved it so much (if that makes any sense.) That means, probably, that it's art. Highly recommended as long as you aren't just looking for an easy, entertaining story.

Overmedicated author with undermedicated character

Caitlin R Kiernan's The Drowning Girl is a story about a young woman with schizophrenia. While she is preoccupied with numbers, her major obsession is with a painting entitled, the drowning girl. Most of the tale has her rambling and talking to herself as she attempts to write down what is happening, along with various stories that she crafts. At various times, she goes off her meds. The major plot concerns her involvement with a mysterious woman whom she cannot decide she has met once or twice. She subsequently learns that a woman of the same name, previously died and furthermore that the woman had a daughter who also died at the same age, both by drowning. The question of what is real versus her illness gets lost in all the meanderings.

While the admixture of fantasy with mental illness is a common plot device, in this case, the tale is bogged down with overly complicated setup and background information that drags on. The addition of a lesbian lifestyle along with a transgender girlfriend which is only on display in intimate moments serve to highlight the "all in her head" aspect of the narrative. The tale is largely a stream of consciousness that comes off like a child trying to tell a complex story. Is it fantasy or simply inadequate psychiatric care?

The narration is moderately decent with an adequate range of character distinction, although pacing is too slow. There are also numerous alternative pronunciation for many words that becomes distracting.

Weird, Intriguing, Ambiguous

I really liked the story, which meanders back and forth across fantasy/hallucination, supernatural occurrence, and everyday experience -- while somehow being impossible to stop listening to. The unreliable narrator-protagonist, a mentally ill young artist, India Morgan Phelps aka Imp reveals her slow unraveling through her accounts of being haunted -- by an archetype first glimpsed in a turn-of-the-century painting of a mermaid. The haunting-thriller-quasi-horror thing isn't usually my cup of tea, but this was intelligent and creepy and doesn't have a pat ending. Recommended if you're up for something new.

Worth The Read But Not Until The End

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book is too long and over clarifies its point, which is some kind of denial of necessary meaning. I would also try to build in some suspense. I was never held by the story. I love the reader and for that reason alone stayed with the book. I am glad I finished it, because the end held a key line mentioning laying one story over another and benefiting from doing so. Whether the point is worth the trouble of finishing this book is doubtful.

I was amazed by the quotes, references, and asides in the book. The writing itself is stylistically advanced, not genius, but way up on the talent charts. Almost any part of the book would be a great study of syntax. It even uses foreign language and completely made-up words to get its point across and add texture. The narrator handles the unexpected transitions from English to something else and back brilliantly!

Any attempted follow up to this work should be more explicit and more focused. Meaning does not vanish just because one tries to be specific about it.

This is the second book I have listened to by this narrator, and I will be looking for a third. On that basis I recommend this book.

Almost great

This novel is nearly great. With a couple of exceptions, the writing throughout the book is superb. One of these exceptions involves an extended mad scene which went on to the point where I was on the verge of pushing the fast forward button. The other is an annoying and overlong example of siren's songs. The protagonist is crazily compelling and sympathetic. The plot is occasionally a trifle convoluted, but keeps you engaged. Unfortunately, the ending is weak and somewhat unsatisfying. Suzy Jackson's performance of the story is terrific. I will keep an eye out for other books which she narrates.

A eye-opening Read

Where does The Drowning Girl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High up the list.

What other book might you compare The Drowning Girl to and why?

I've never read anything like it. I think Kiernan has created something wholly individual that is part reality, part myth, deeply personal, and entirely true.

Have you listened to any of Suzy Jackson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't, but I would love to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Imp is describing how she first saw the drowning girl painting in the museum, and I felt as if I was sitting on the bench beside her.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book! Let the story suck you in and flow over you like a cool river. I loved listening to this book and how the story unfolded in the very unique brain of the character Imp as she fights to understand what is real, and what is the creation of her mind. This book will make you laugh, cry, and be so very glad you gave it a chance.