Play Book Tag discussion

Haunting and beautifully written, but it didn't quite hit me as hard as Our Wives Under the Sea. The premise has an extremely slow and intricate wind up, but by the time it finally pays off, the book is almost over and I'm left with even more questions than answers.

Adults sisters Isla, Irene and Agnes live in a world that is drowning. It's never quite stated what the cause is for the never-ending rain that floods this near-future, but we all know it's climate change. Isla, Irene and Agnes all live in a city that is partially underwater, clinging to a semblance of normalcy while they take water taxis to work and walk along man-made jetties among half-submerged skyscrapers. Their father was a famous architect, known for designing buildings to withstand the onslaught – for those who can afford them. The sisters' relationships with their father is tenuous and troubled, and this all comes to a head when he dies of old age and they're left to deal with the aftermath.

Yet this is only the story at the surface, so to speak.

Interwoven quite masterfully among the siblings' squabbles, their petty factionalism, and their damaged attempts at finding romance is a submerged story, much more disturbing and begging to surface. Hints of cults, of a mother searching for a divine answer, of the reason why strangers always seem to be staring at Agnes.

I was mostly content to hear about the surface story, though after awhile I struggled to like any of the sisters. Agnes was the most likeable, her moodiness explainable by her young age and the fact that she had to deal with such batshit older sisters. But to stomach Isla and Irene's sections I really had to turn on the "staring at a slow-moving trainwreck" part of my brain. They're all somewhat difficult to root for, as they swan about, indifferent or unnoticing of the crises unfolding around them. I sympathized with Jude and Stephanie, two of the siblings' romantic partners, when they bemoaned the sisters' privilege that made them blind to most things beyond their own personal pain. Like, yeah! I too want to grab them by the neck and shake them, tell them to open their eyes and take hold of some agency in their own lives!

All this means the big revelation - and bOY does this book go from family drama to full on horror FAST – comes a little too late for me. I was immensely relieved it came at all. But then the whole thing just ends. It felt more like a midpoint, and I wanted to see far more action from the sisters now that they know the true breadth of what is going on.

All that said, I think the author captures perfectly the atmosphere of living in "troubled times;" at once feeling like everything is on fire and yet still having to go through the mundane motions that get you through the day. There are sequences of sirens going off, disorienting everyone around them, only to have no obvious, immediate cause and forcing the people to go back to business as usual but with a slightly sharper undercurrent of dread. Like... yeah, that sure is what it feels like!

Overall I enjoyed it, but given how vivid the setting was, I really wish I could spend some more time there... maybe with a few more likeable characters.

I just read your first paragraph and rating as this is on my TBR for me to read. I was hit hard by Our Wives Under the Sea, gave it 4 stars, actually only reading it because of a discussion group I joined at the Center for Fiction on women writing contemporary gothic novels. I also find that leaving some distance between an author's stand alone books leaves me more open, with less intense expectations.

But between your and Joy's positive ratings, I'm still looking forward to it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one, Theresa!!

It will happen - eventually.