Water Bodies

10:59 pm 2 June 2020

John Voltaire returns to his childhood home of L along the banks of the Mississippi in order to settle his parents estate. John thought he escaped the backwards confines of L long ago, but he is right back where he started. Now, L is experiencing a strange plague of drownings. More than usual, the water seems to be taking more lives than usual in an array of unusual and terrifying circumstances. Locals are in disagreement of the cause- increases in drunken accidents, a supernatural force, a serial killer or natures revenge. John's return coincides with the uptick and on top of the unusual circumstances, John's siblings, Cristo and Laura aren't helping much with the sale.

Told through the device of John's scientific journal, Water Bodies presents a unique view of a very strange circumstance through the eyes of a former resident of the town and a current Doctor of Biology and Freshwater Science. Since it is John's science journal, I really didn't get a good sense of his character. In fact, the first section of the book is just a recounting of all of the strange recent drownings and no sense of who is recording it. As John's family history unfolds, it also gives hints that John may not be the most reliable of narrators. The plot of the story sort of dragged for me, but I was pulled along by the mystery of the water. There may have been something in this story that I didn't quite get or something that went over my head and I was left unsatisfied and a little confused.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

contemporary fiction

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