The Drownings by Hazel Barkworth #TheDrownings @BarkworthHazel @headlinepg #BookReview

 

These waters became wild centuries before this university was dreamed of. Leysham has always been a dangerous place for women . .

Serena arrives on campus reeling from the injury that destroyed her champion swimming career. She is lost until she meets Jane, an enigmatic tutor obsessed with the historic witch trials that took place in Leysham's freezing waters.

When several young women are assaulted, the university's shadowy legacy becomes inescapable. Those in power turn a blind eye, but Jane urges Serena and her friends to rise up. As their anger builds into an inferno of female rage, Serena takes matters into her own hands.

Leysham has reawakened something within her, a dark, impossible power. In the waters, she can see what must be done - and the sacrifice it will demand.

From the author of Heatstroke, an intoxicatingly atmospheric new novel about competition, obsession and influence - for readers of The Things We Do to Our Friends, Weyward and Promising Young Woman.

The Drownings by Hazel Barkworth is published on 1 August 2024 by Headline. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

This is one hell of a read. Hazel Barkworth has created a story that concentrates on the power of the rage of women; the consequences of events from many years ago; the way that social media can whip up a storm, and then turn in the opposite direction; and how oppression can lead to danger. 

Serena is a first year student at Leysham university - the campus is made up of dark, foreboding buildings, not far from the coast, with a river running through it. That river is the focus of Serena's first days. She's always been drawn to water, having been a top swimmer, bound for the Olympics in 2024. However, injury has forced her out of the sport that has been her complete life up until now. Her shattered knee has just been released from the plaster cast, and as she sits by the river she sees a girl stumble and fall. Despite her agony, Serena cannot sit by and watch. It is during this incident that she meets Jane. An older, composed woman, a lecturer at the University and who will become central to Serena's experiences there. 

This river has had many victims over the years. It's dark and dangerous, and also surrounded by myths. There's talk of the drowning of witches in years gone by, and this theme is predominant throughout the story.

Also at the University is Serena's younger cousin Zara. Serena's success in the swimming pool has always overshadowed anything that Zara could achieve. However, the tables have now turned and Zara is a well known influencer, with hundreds of thousands of followers. She celebrates her body shape, her ripples, her dimples, her body positive image encourages women and girls just like her. 

This is a complex, finely tuned and well paced novel that delivered something a little bit different for me. The characters are utterly flawed, damaged and carry a lot of baggage. There are hidden secrets, about the main players and also about the history of the university that are shocking and carefully revealed. 

As Serena and her group of friends get louder and louder, campaigning against their treatment by the most elite and entitled members of the community, the danger increases. There are mishaps and events that may or may not be accidental, culminating in a tragedy that nobody will foresee. 

This is a stylish, atmospheric read that is totally gripping. Packed with modern up-to-date issues combined with historical detail that has contributed so much to societal faults of today. 

Evocative and beautifully written. Highly recommended by me. 

Hazel grew up in Stirlingshire and North Yorkshire before studying English at Oxford. 

She then moved to London where she spent her days working as a cultural consultant, and her nights dancing in a pop band at glam rock clubs. 

Hazel is a graduate of both the Oxford University MSt in Creative Writing and the Curtis Brown Creative Novel-Writing course. 

She now works in Oxford, where she lives with her partner

X @BarkworthHazel

IG @hazelbarkworth