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The Polite Act of Drowning

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The Polite Act of Drowning

By: Charleen Hurtubise
Narrated by: Ina Marie Smith
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The luminous debut novel from one of Ireland's finest storytellers

'The Polite Act of Drowning is a beautiful and captivating novel, lyrical and sensuous, a precise and faithful evocation of the tumult and trauma of family life, and of emergence into adulthood, and the confrontation of truths about ourselves and the people we love' - Donal Ryan

Michigan, 1985.

The drowning of a teenage girl causes ripples in the small town of Kettle Lake, though for most the waters settle quickly. For sixteen year old Joanne Kennedy, however, the tragedy dredges up untold secrets and causes her mother to drift farther from reality and her family.

When troubled newcomer Lucinda arrives in town, she offers Joanne a chance of real friendship, and together the teenagers push against the boundaries of family, self-image, and their sexuality during the tension of a long, stifling summer. But the undercurrents of past harms continuously threaten to drag Joanne and those around her under... Coming of Age Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction
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Critic reviews

'The Polite Act of Drowning is a beautiful and captivating novel, lyrical and sensuous, a precise and faithful evocation of the tumult and trauma of family life, and of emergence into adulthood, and the confrontation of truths about ourselves and the people we love' (Donal Ryan)
'...loved every word of it. Such a beautifully written, evocative book ... Heartbreaking at times, this is ultimately a story of hope. The best book I've read this year so far. If you liked The Paper Palace, you'll love this' (Michelle McDonagh)
'Charleen Hurtubise is a gifted storyteller. The vivid world of Kettle Lake, its natural beauties, its characters and its secrets, comes alive in this lyrical, evocative novel. Hurtubise's writing is skilful, compelling, mesmeric' (Lia Mills)
'A luminous and gripping portrait of a teenage girl coming of age in a small lakeshore community. Filled with colourful, complicated characters and brimming with heartbreak, love, and redemption, it is an exquisite debut from a powerful storyteller' (Michelle Gallen)
'Hauntingly atmospheric' (Sue Leonard)
All stars
Most relevant
Nicely paced story of ordinary life with its up and downs and crisis. Also showing the impact of traumatic experience and how this is carried forward into other stages and ages in one's life. Tells us how it is so important for us humans ro share our experiences and to have people we can trust.

sensitive story

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Very well narrated but unfortunately for me...I'm done with yet another trauma story...I thought it was more about the young character discovering her world and people. Instead she gets bogged down by the generation before..
It doesn't read like 1985...I kept feeling the sixties through the depictions and nuances within the story...

Beautiful depictions of the water

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