The Polite Act of Drowning
Charleen Hurtubise
An elegant, atmospheric, emotional coming-of-age novel with themes of generational trauma, sexual identity and coping with mental illness at its heart, as well as the silence of women drowning in plain view in their daily lives.
'The Polite Act of Drowning is a beautiful and captivating novel, lyrical and sensuous, a precise and faithful evocation of the tumult and trauma of family life, and of emergence into adulthood, and the confrontation of truths about ourselves and the people we love' - Donal Ryan
Michigan, 1985.
The drowning of a teenage girl causes ripples in the small town of Kettle Lake, though for most the waters settle quickly. For sixteen year old Joanne Kennedy, however, the tragedy dredges up untold secrets and causes her mother to drift farther from reality and her family.
When troubled newcomer Lucinda arrives in town, she offers Joanne a chance of real friendship, and together the teenagers push against the boundaries of family, self-image, and their sexuality during the tension of a long, stifling summer. But the undercurrents of past harms continuously threaten to drag Joanne and those around her under...
Perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen
Product Details
About Charleen Hurtubise
Reviews for The Polite Act of Drowning
Donal Ryan '...loved every word of it. Such a beautifully written, evocative book ... Heartbreaking at times, this is ultimately a story of hope. The best book I've read this year so far. If you liked The Paper Palace, you'll love this'
Michelle McDonagh
author of There's Something I have to Tell You
'Charleen Hurtubise is a gifted storyteller. The vivid world of Kettle Lake, its natural beauties, its characters and its secrets, comes alive in this lyrical, evocative novel. Hurtubise's writing is skilful, compelling, mesmeric'
Lia Mills
Lia Mills
'A luminous and gripping portrait of a teenage girl coming of age in a small lakeshore community. Filled with colourful, complicated characters and brimming with heartbreak, love, and redemption, it is an exquisite debut from a powerful storyteller'
Michelle Gallen
author of Factory Girls
'Hauntingly atmospheric'
Sue Leonard
Irish Examiner
'The Polite Act of Drowning is an accomplished debut franked with credible characters and imbued with the conviction that we determine our own destiny'
Brendan Daly
Irish Examiner
'The humid haze of small-town America in high summer is brilliantly wrought here'
Irish Independent
'Part coming of age drama, part exploration of inherited trauma, Hurtubise expertly places us in the middle of the action ... this is a tale that lingers'
Sophie Grenham
The Sunday Times
'an impressive debut, establishing its author as someone with a keen eye for emotional detail and luscious scene-setting. Hurtubise's coming of age tale balances the tension of the trouble brewing in this community with the vulnerability, joy and pain of growing up'
Emma Flynn
The Irish Times