Dead In The Water: Jennifer Soucy
Reviewed By Yvonne Miller
When an author opens with such a chapter you just know that it’s going to continue to shock and surprise throughout the story. The quality and the balance of the tale were upheld perfectly and found myself enthralled at the propensity of the narrative. The writing never fails to accurately nail what is beloved about horror. Dead in the Water is a rollercoaster of action and emotion about the ups and downs of family life with a haunting element of supernatural and folklore injected in just the right places.
Dead in the water is the stage in which we see societal issues explored with clarity and finesse, a story with a three-dimensional sting contained. A story of triplets dealing with the death of their grandmother, the real matriarch of the family. She raised them after the death of their parents and was the rock that kept them steady through years of grief and suffering. When Shaelyn took the difficult decision to put their grandmother into a home it already felt like the end of an era. She couldn’t communicate with them anymore and had ultimately fallen into a vegetative state. After being informed that their grandmother had been able to slip past them and head to the docks and left a note it seems impossible after her years of being incommunicado. Why did their grandmother leave them in this way?
The sisters arrive back in Provincetown to sort out the estate and funeral of their grandmother. Shaelyn, Cordelia, and Riley have had limited contact with each other for several years now. It’s perceived by all the girls that the others have had better lives. Shaelyn has had twins and has been running the Inn that their grandmother owned, It’s a real struggle in the off-season though. Cordelia has been the victim of domestic abuse from the complete ass of a husband. Riley has a high-flying career in music but at the cost of the love of her life. Growing up isn’t a bed of roses as can be highlighted by the experiences of the three sisters.
Reading Dead in the water reminded me of the stillness that can be found on the water. Everything can seem calm like glass but underneath there is a torrent of action, an engulfing magnitude of pain. Imagine an iceberg – what’s underneath is far more dangerous than the surface. No quiet or peace can be found. Soucy delves into hard topics such as grief and domestic abuse with tact and respect but doesn’t diminish the impact that it has on the story.
I love this kind of read the kind that you can immerse yourself into for hours. The relationships, the coming back together felt like the light at the end of a tunnel. Everything becomes more manageable when the family sticks together through hardship and pain.
Dead In The Water
Breaking a promise can have deadly consequences.
Grandma Maureen escapes the nursing home and walks into the water. The McNamara curse strikes again as another member is taken by the sea.
Shaelyn, Cordelia, and Riley—triplet terrors who once dreamed of stardom and true love—return home to mourn the woman who raised them. Shaelyn lost the man of her dreams and had to raise their children alone while running the family business. Cordelia married her childhood sweetheart and became his princess, but he began punishing her after she failed to meet his expectations. Riley’s a famous musician, but a life of excess and regret has taken its toll.
Someone else lurks in Provincetown, eager for the sisters’ reunion—a mysterious man who’s watched them from afar for years. One of the sisters has a secret, a bargain struck which must be fulfilled or else disaster will follow. The McNamara Girls have no choice but to set aside their differences and unite against a predator whose vengeful obsession refuses to be denied.
You can buy Dead In The Water from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Yvonne Miller
Well, what can I say about myself? I’m a 33-year-old married woman and mum to 3 crazy boys, aged 13,6 and 4. My eldest has a genetic condition that causes a visual impairment so as you can imagine life can be very chaotic and provides many challenges along the way but I would 100% never change any of them. They fulfil my life beyond measure.
I adore books – I adore shouting about books! I’m a reviewer of mainly horror and dark fantasy. Whether that’s featuring werewolves, evil creatures or the depravity of humanity, I will read them all.
You can follow Yvonne on Twitter: @coycaterpillar
Please visit Yvonne’s Official Website: www.thecoycaterpillarreads.blog
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