‘The Drowning Woman’: Women struggle to escape their pasts

“The Drowning Woman” follows two woman: newly homeless Lee Gulliver and rich housewife Hazel Laval. The first of the book’s four parts is told from Lee’s perspective alternating with Hazel’s.

Lee is barely surviving by working under the table at a rundown diner and taking showers at random gyms around town. She lives in her car and drives to quiet residential areas for a good night’s sleep after having her car broken into by meth addicts and having her purse with wallet and money stolen

One early morning, Lee is awakened by the sound of a woman’s sobs. She finds an affluent woman dressed in athletic gear flailing in the water. She rescues Hazel from her suicide attempt, and the two develop a close friendship.

We soon learn that Hazel is being abused and wants to escape her power attorney husband, Benjamin Laval. Lee wants to be a good friend but remains clueless about the plan Hazel has hatched with her accomplice. 

Things go awry when Hazel’s husband discovers his wife’s plan and ends it violently. This leads to both Lee and her new friend going on the run.

Character Analysis

Characters

Lee Gulliver
Hazel Laval
Jesse
Benjamin Laval

Harding is a master of character development. She paints Lee as a female business owner who has paid dearly during the pandemic.

The former restaurant owner from New York City is forced to leave her professional life and family after being unable to repay her investors and creditors. Lee is most afraid of Damon, an unscrupulous businessman who broken one of her fingers and threatened to return weekly and break more until she settled her debts. 

She longs for human connection, especially after becoming estranged from her sister Teresa and her parents. This situation makes her vulnerable to exploitation.  

Hazel is the less traditionally sympathetic character. She grew up as the only child of a single mother with money problems and has traded on her conventional appearance. It wasn’t until she was older that Hazel was diagnosed with a learning disorder. 

To ensure both she and her mother were financially stable, Hazel accepted Benjamin’s proposal with the contractual obligations to give him total control of her life. She’s grown lonely and miserable in her isolation and wants to end the marriage either through taking her life or Benjamin’s. 

Final Thoughts

Robyn Harding’s novel builds on twists, betrayals, and commonplace genre conventionsl to deliver some page-turning plotting.

“The Drowning Woman” isn’t revolutionary its storytelling, but it provides a worthy escape from the summer doldrums. 

I would recommend this for thriller readers looking for well-drawn characters, several twists, and some light social commentary. 

Rating

My rating is 3.5 stars out of 5.

Book Details

Title: “The Drowning Woman”
Author: Robyn Harding
Year of Publication: 2023
Number of Pages: 336