And a lovely review, it is. Gotta love that last line:
Bick, Ilsa J. Drowning Instinct. Carolrhoda Lab, 2012 343p Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-7752-8 17.95 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-8726-8 12.95 R Gr. 9-12
When the policeman asks Jenna how she fell through the ice and nearly drowned in the lake near her teacher’s house, she won’t tell him. When he leaves her a recorder, though, she starts talking, describing her memories of nearly dying in a fire at her grandfather’s house when she was young, her parents’ on-again off-again romantic closeness, her father’s brutally controlling behavior, her difficulty fitting in at her new school, her longing for her absent brother, and finally her relationship with her teacher, Mr. Anderson. The tale that emerges has numerous heroes and villains, but they are often contained within the same person, and the moral messiness disallows easy distinctions. At the center of it all is Jenna herself, whose keen need for love is met only by people who betray, neglect, and lie to her, even when they, too, are simply seeking genuine affection. Jenna’s narration spins out multiple mysteries and consistently dares her imaginary listener to condemn her romantic relationship with her teacher, who matches her need for need. In fact, her defiant tone and refusal to be a victim even though she has been victimized is what ultimately keeps her afloat, making this a compelling study of brokenness that persists across generations and of salvation by unconventional means. KC
