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The Drowning House: A Novel Audiobook
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(2.02) - 503 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A gripping suspense story about a woman who returns to Galveston, Texas after a personal tragedy and is irresistibly drawn into the insular world she’s struggled to leave. Photographer Clare Porterfield's once-happy marriage is coming apart, unraveling under the strain of a family tragedy. When she receives an invitation to direct an exhibition in her hometown of Galveston, Texas, she jumps at the chance to escape her grief and reconnect with the island she hasn't seen for ten years. There Clare will have the time and space to search for answers about her troubled past and her family's complicated relationship with the wealthy and influential Carraday family. Soon she finds herself drawn into a century-old mystery involving Stella Carraday. Local legend has it that Stella drowned in her family's house during the Great Hurricane of 1900, hanged by her long hair from the drawing room chandelier. Could Stella have been saved? What is the true nature of Clare's family's involvement? The questions grow like the wildflower vines that climb up the walls and fences of the island. And the closer Clare gets to the answers, the darker and more disturbing the truth becomes. Steeped in the rich local history of Galveston, The Drowning House portrays two families, inextricably linked by tragedy and time. "The Drowning House marks the emergence of an impressive new literary voice. Elizabeth Black's suspenseful inquiry into dark family secrets is enriched by a remarkable succession of images, often minutely observed, that bring characters, setting, and story sharply into focus." —John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
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"A subtle shroud of beginning, deliberately so, like a camera pushing through fog until a clear scene is highlighted. The novel penetrates more deeply as the reader finds more and more layers of mystery. Well told, captivating dark and light and a view of Galveston, an unknown place on my horizon."
— Esther (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“[Black] possesses elegant descriptive powers…The honky-tonk allure of Glaveson’s Strand district, in particular, comes alive in all its touched-up splendor.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Black excels at summoning the unique culture of Galveston, its tragic past and scruffy present.”
— Dallas Morning News -
“A novel that encapsulates the convoluted machinations of a powerful family within the larger context of a society that supports its own, no questions asked.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune -
“An engrossing story of perception and context, with an appealing heroine and a fascinating setting.”
— Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star -
“Black mythologizes this landscape, evoking its essence and that of its inhabitants, creating a novel that is far more than the sum of its parts.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“A dark, addictive, and compelling tale of Galveston Island. It builds to a stunning climax that keeps you reading compulsively to the end.”
— Galveston Daily News -
“Elegant and evocative.”
— Toronto Star -
“[The Drowning House] offers the ravages of water, fire, and wind, and a portrait of Galveston struggling to disentangle itself from a romanticized past.”
— Texas Observer -
“Absorbing…A love letter to Galveston, its peculiar barrier island ways, and the shape that its isolated, ingrown history gives to relationships and events.”
— Philadelphia City Paper -
“A page-turning chronicle of grief and memory…propelled by Black’s lyrical, haunting narration.”
— BookPage -
“Black’s tempered prose and moody vulnerability creates a rich debut; both sensitive and sensational.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“The Drowning House marks the emergence of an impressive new literary voice. Elizabeth Black’s suspenseful inquiry into dark family secrets is enriched by a remarkable succession of images, often minutely observed, that bring characters, setting, and story sharply into focus.”
— John Berendt, New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil -
“Prepare to be lost in Elizabeth Black’s Galveston. Strange, mysterious, and utterly riveting, The Drowning House is a captivating mystery as well as a beautifully realized story about grief that skillfully evokes the heat, humidity, and languid desire that pervade Gulf Coast life.”
— Michelle Richmond, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog -
“As dark and gleaming as a ruby, Elizabeth Black’s suspenseful debut limns the slippery nature of truth surrounding a shocking tragedy, with language so exquisite you’ll be underlining phrases.”
— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You
Awards
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Selected for the January 2013 Indie Next List
The Drowning House Listener Reviews
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" This book made me want to go check out Galveston. "
— Zoe, 1/15/2014 -
" Sometimes I really scare myself! How do I find these types of books? What types you ask? Dark and strange. Plots that are as crystal clear as mud. Endings that are so ambiguous, I am still scratching my head. But, it was a page turner. Go figure! "
— Julia, 12/30/2013 -
" I really couldn't get into the book. "
— Amanda, 12/29/2013 -
" It took a bit of pushing to get through this, but when I hit the halfway point it definitely improved. I did enjoy it, although it was not suspenseful, really. I would call it interesting. A nice study of an insular society, it's secrets and how they affect it's residents & visitors. I did enjoy it, and will watch for this author's next book. "
— Denise, 12/28/2013 -
" It was hard to put the book down but the story was hard to follow. The author bounces from present to past in no specific order. "
— Robyn, 12/15/2013 -
" disappointing. I really expected a much better book "
— Linda, 9/28/2013 -
" This had such potential. Incredibly disjointed and frenetic. "
— Cryan, 6/16/2013 -
" this sounds like a good read and will look forward to reading it even if i have to wait for it to come to the library "
— Jackie, 5/26/2013 -
" This had the potential to be so much more. "
— Eiron, 5/1/2013 -
" Obscure, oblique and not nearly as clever as the author seems to think it is. It was readable, but not nearly as good as some of the books I have read lately. "
— Maegan, 4/25/2013 -
" Did not enjoy this book at all. Struggled to get through it, the characters didn't feel fully developed and the story dragged on. "
— Stacey, 4/4/2013
About Elizabeth Black
Elizabeth Black was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island and now lives in Houston, Texas.
About Ann Marie Lee
Ann Marie Lee is a seven-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award for narration. She is a Los Angeles–based actress with television credits that include ER, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Nip/Tuck. Her stage performances for Broadway National Tours and regional theater include Peter Pan, As You Like It, Heartbreak House, and The Cherry Orchard.