A Study in Drowning

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Our main character, Effy, loves the book 'Angharad' more than anything, it connects with her on a level deeper than the male scholars could ever possibly understand. It's a story that sings to her truth, it provides her shelter and comfort from the storm of her reality, and it gives her courage to rewrite her own history. I think every book lover can relate to the feeling of having that one book that speaks to you, that one story that feels like it was written just for you (mine is He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan). In line with the previous question, one of my own favourite Welsh myths is that of Cantre’r Gwaelod, the sunken kingdom below Cardigan Bay – represented of course in Llyr’s ‘Bottom Hundred.’ You also mention a similar Breton myth in your notes, that of Kêr-Is. What drew you to this particular story frame? The dedication to this book reads: “This is a love story” and, respectfully, no it's not. I am not one to complain about a fantasy book having too little romance, but this dedication really sets the wrong expectations for the book. Effy and Preston’s romance is incredibly underdeveloped and is certainly not “rivals to lovers.” The entire conflict between them is Effy’s one-sided anger over something kind of stupid. Then she gets over it, they have a few scenes that were probably supposed to have romantic tension, and suddenly they're together.

Effy squeezed her eyes shut, willing the image to vanish. When she opened them again, the chalkboard in front of her looked glassy, like a window at night. She could picture a thousand blurry, half-seen things behind it. that when Llyr's tanks rolled across, that green land, when their rifles peeked up from the trenches they had dug into Argantian soil, it was the magic of the sleepers that protected them. That when Argantian guns jammed or an out-of season fog crept across the battlefield, that was sleeper magic, too."I love you.” Effy pressed her forehead against his. “I love you,” Preston said, voice wavering. “I’m so sorry it’s ruined us both.” JadePhoenix13 on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 3 hours ago

There are definitely shades of A.S. Byatt’s Possession in A Study in Drowning, and that book was a big inspiration to me. Possession is also a literary mystery where two rival academics end up falling in love in their quest to uncover obscure lore about a famous (fictional) author, although obviously ASID takes place in a fantasy world. But I think what was most compelling to me about Possession– and what influenced ASID the most strongly–is the theme of obsession and devotion. The sense of ownership that academics feel over their subjects, that people feel over the objects of their affection. The seemingly-effete and remote world of academia is, ultimately, driven by passion, and that’s part of what makes it so compelling to me. A Study in Drowning is set in a world inspired by mid-century England and Wales, and Effy belongs to a class of women who would have been among the first non-aristocrats to be able to attend university. While she has the privilege of being upper class, as a woman she is still subjected to horrifically dehumanising institutional sexism. i can see Reid’s vision, i know what she was trying to do here but… sadly it just wasn’t executed effectively therefore i had little to no interest in the story. She wondered if you could love something out of ruination, reverse that drowning process, make it all new again.

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I would like to thanks The Fairy King, Random House UK, Cornerstone, Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Effy finds extreme comfort in a book that speaks to her experiences of misogyny and trauma. Are there any books you turn to for comfort after a hard day or after an experience that leaves you upset and confused?