A Study in Drowning

Product Information

this is very atmospheric and the writing is so very good. i loved the themes of this story and the emphasis on power in regards to reclaiming your life and agency and voice after really horrible things happen to you. and how there is so much power in knowing you aren’t alone, and that there is power in giving a voice to not only yourself but the others who were silenced before you, and the power of just knowing that people believe you. One: She was the only female student at the architecture college. Even if the boy had never so much as glimpsed her in the halls before, certainly he had seen her name on the exam results, and then, later, on the college roster in the lobby. Three days ago, some anonymous vigilante had taken a pen and turned her last name, Sayre, into something lewd, preserving the last two letters.

Ava Reid is the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of critically acclaimed adult fantasies Juniper & Thorn and The Wolf and the Woodsman, as well as the forthcoming A Study in Drowning, her young adult debut. Born in Manhattan and raised right across the Hudson River in Hoboken, after obtaining her degree in political science from Barnard College, she moved to Palo Alto, where she continues to haunt university libraries. We ask that the proposed structure—HIRAETH MANOR—be large enough to house the surviving Myrddin family, as well as the extensive collection of books, manuscripts, and letters that Myrddin leaves behind. My next book is Lady Macbeth, an adult historical fantasy reimagining of Shakespeare’s play from Lady Macbeth’s perspective. We’re pitching it as Circe meets Wolf Hall. It’s out from Del Rey next summer, and I’m very excited to share more about it in the coming months! 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.I’ve felt the romance was a bit rushed, especially given the circumstances. However, I believe it was an important piece of the healing process and I wouldn’t change the length of the book.

it just confused me and ruined any potential attachment to the characters, but specifically Effy that i craved. Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she's had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad--Emrys Myrddin's epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him--is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin's family announces a contest to redesign the late author's estate, Effy feels certain it's her destiny. His shoulder was pressed against her chest, their faces close enough that Effy could see the muscle feathering in his jaw." But stories were devious things, things with agendas. They could cheat and steal and lie to your face. They could crumble away under your feet."

Complete this captcha to connect to Foyles

There is also plenty of the Gothic about your story, I particularly liked your take on the framed narrative through Angharad , Effy’s favourite book. With the numerous epitaphs, how much of that story did you also have written up? now, the plot is what initially made me realise i wasn’t enjoying the book. i gave Effy and Preston the benefit of the doubt for the majority of the book. but the plot, world-building and storytelling aspect? hmmm. But Effy’s descent into Myrddin’s world is nothing like what she expected: Hiraeth is a crumbling house on the edge of the sea, where boundaries between reality and fantasy blur all too easily and dark creatures lurk in the forest that surrounds the house. In this desolate place, it’s easy to embrace old ways — iron protectively strong across doorways, hag stones to help humans see more clearly, ash trees growing along the edges of the grounds—-and seek otherworldly protection from a nameless danger. More importantly, she slowly begins to understand that the man she spent so long mythologizing within her own mind had plenty of all too human flaws. The characters, now. Let it be known first that Effie, the main character, moved me and I have such a soft spot for her. Parts of her character were very relatable to me and I love that Ava Reid allowed her to be unsure, to be afraid—her character development didn’t happen instantly and so felt realistic to me. I rooted for her so much, and above everything, I wanted her to be happy. Preston, her rival/companion, was sweet, kind, and I liked him very much. I’ll have to admit that it took me time to care for the romance however, and by that I mean that for most of the book, I was happy for them, but from a distance. It didn’t really bother me because that’s something I experience often when reading young adult novels—and that’s perfectly normal, given that I’m not the target audience—and I can't say I felt the tension that much but my god they were so sweet, so tender, so respectful of consent : I love, love, love to find this kind of relationships in YA novels. The sea took and took and took, thousands of little deaths, and they endured it all because they knew nothing else. They didn't think to fear the Drowning until the water was lapping at their door.

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? I adored the themes throughout the story. I could tell where the story was heading and was correct in my theories, and I loved how these darker themes were explored both delicately and deeply. The exploration of misogyny of all kinds—of the commodification of women, of women's roles within stories and the roles women have played within mythologies and folklore—was fascinating. I loved how intrinsically this exploration was paired with the folklore of the world, I loved how connected they were to the various stories within stories. The mariner's hubris isn't necessarily in his belief that he won't die, but his belief that the worst the sea can do is kill him.

Personalized picks at your fingertips

The only reason anything matters is because it ends,” he says. “I wouldn’t hold you so tightly now if I thought we could be here forever.” Drawing from Welsh folklore, ASID follows the story of Effy, a young student of architecture, though her true passion lies in literature even if the school doesn’t permit women. When she gets the chance to design a home for her favourite author Myrddin‘s son at their ancestral home, she jumps at the chance despite her fear of what she might uncover while she’s there. At Hiraeth, Effy encounters a smug and mercurial fellow academic, a boy called Preston, and Myrddin’s son. Soon, Effy and Preston join forces to investigate the mysterious author’s legacy, especially around Effy’s favourite story Angharad, or the story of a young woman and the fabled Fairy King. As Effy and Preston draw closer to the truth and myth comes to life, they realise the origin to the story might be far closer than they ever could’ve imagined. You want be the first to tell his life story,” she said. “You’re—you’re just the academic equivalent of a carpetbagger.” An Argantian trying to write the narrative of a Llyrian icon’s life—of Myrddin’s life—it was so aberrant that she was at a loss for further words.

Otherwise, the romance is more substantial than the one in Juniper & Thorn, but another big problem for me is that Preston just seems so vague and lifeless - I never really felt a true sense of what made him distinct or complex or interesting as a character at all. He’s a cynic who loves talking about his academic theories and he is kind and respectful to Effy when literally every other man in the book is a lascivious slobbering monster. There is one scene where he tells Effy about his father’s death, and that’s pretty much the most significant spotlight moment that he gets throughout the book. Her studio professor, Master Parri, was running through his usual introduction, only in Argantian. It was a new policy at the university, instituted only at the start of her first term, six weeks ago. Officially, it was out of respect for the university’s few Argantian students, but unofficially, it was out of a sort of preemptive fear. If Argant won the war, would they impress their language upon all of Llyr? Would children grow up shaping its vowel sounds and verbs instead of memorizing Llyrian poetry? But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn’t the only one who’s made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin’s papers and is determined to prove her favorite author is a fraud. despite my mixed feelings for this book, Ava Reid has a talent for writing and a deep love for literature— the story almost has a “story within a story” format, so it was very clear to me Reid loves storytelling and words and the power they hold; authorship and identity clearly matter to her, too. i could really see what she was attempting to do. she crafted this with delicate intricacy which i couldn’t help admire. yet, it’s what also heightened my frustrations with the book because while the writing style and the craftsmanship was amazing, i feel as though, by doing so, Reid sacrificed character depth and ingenuity in favour of her research and the “messages” she was trying to get across to the reader. The estate of Llyr’s national author EMRYS MYRDDIN is soliciting designs for a manor home outside the late author’s hometown of Saltney, Bay of Nine Bells.

Latest Posts

With these themes in mind, were there any particular works of fiction that inspired you? Any further reading for our readers?