The Drowners | Queer/LGBTQ Book Review

I’m a bit late posting this review, but in my defense, I was busy, also I was not expecting this book to read the way it did….

This is how you write characters & teenage angst

Oh man oh man, was this book good. Now, let’s get this out of the way first—I grew up in the 2000s and this book is set in Dublin during the 90s. So some references went right over my head, but the love for Johnny Depp was definitely a shared experience haha.

Aaron is a bitter fifteen year old mad at the world for what he should be and anxious about who he actually is. This book is extremely well written. The prose is so well put together, effortlessly shifting from rowdy teenage banter to discussions on sexuality, capitalism, bodily autonomy, hypocrisy of politicians, etc. If I wanted to get picky I would say it’s hard to imagine a teenager with such well put together thoughts but this book does take place in the 80s when brain rot hadn’t take over yet so…

“Does nostalgia induce selective amnesia? Because the way the neighborhood dads tell it they all holidayed at this incredible resort called Adolescence ”

Aaron, despite his rather sophisticated thoughts, felt so real. His smart-mouth, ranting, and witty quips that only seemed to appear at the wrong moments. His struggles with societal and familiar expectations, figuring out his sexuality, experimenting with alcohol and drugs. All typical teenage stuff, all beautifully written.

ahh every time I read something THIS good: I get jealous because the writing is THAT good.

harsh realities

These days, I read a lot of queer normative stories. I’ve somewhat created a bubble for myself where I often times forget the bite that more realistic queer coming-of-age stories have.

I related to Aaron so much even though it was different time and place somethings never change:

“I can be gay in the morning, straight at night, and pansexual tomorrow. It’s not like I signed a binding contract.”

Growing up and figuring out your queer can be such an isolating experience. Kids are mean. Kids are bullies. This book addresses all that, even the romance was portrayed in a semi-realistic way.

random bits & bobs / final thoughts

This book is extremely main-character driven, but I still really liked a lot of the side-characters, mainly Niamh. Robbie was also an excellent character and really helped Aaron come out of his shell.

“You need to be more assertive. You can’t go through life expecting other people can read your thoughts. This world is loud, you gotta shout to make yourself heard.”

Second-hand embarrassment & coming-of-age unfortunately go hand and hand, so there was no way of getting around it lol. Without sharing any spoilers, I think there were two, maybe three, instances that stood out to me and I had to franticly skip a few pages so I didn’t get second hand anxiety lol. Thankfully, they were never brought up again so all good haha.

Overall, this book is on the slower side, but the well written prose helps to get through it and before I knew it I was coasting through. The ending did feel a bit rushed, and I wish some of those moments had been spread out earlier to help with the pacing. But honestly, you could hand me anything by this author and I’d love it for the writing alone.

It’s been a while since I’ve read The Perks of Being a Wallflower but, I believe, if you liked that book then I would recommend this one. Just check TWs as this one definitely is on the darker side.

tldr: A beautifully written queer coming-of-age story that explores mental illness and school life, with a rich, character-driven plot.

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