30th September, 2014

The Drowning

Name :	TAN HOONG WEI
Class :	K3B
School Num. :	12196
Book Call Num. :	FLAC
Book Title :	The Drowning
Author :	Camilla Lackberg
Publication Year/(Edition) :	Harper Collins (2008)

Setting:

Modern Time in Fjällbacka

Characters:

Patrik Hedström- A fellow police officer who has solved numerous crimes. He is Erica’s loving husband. He cares deeply to both his wife and daughter.

Erica Falck- An author who writes crime fiction and loves mysteries. She is a wife and a mother. Currently, she’s pregnant with a pair of twins. She is strong willed and determined to solve the case of Christian’s mystery letters.

Christian Thydell- A librarian in Fjällbacka, has published his novel The Mermaid. The book has been very well-received and a great success. Even so, things are very tough for Christian: he has received very threatening letters that are devastating and extremely frightening.

Magnus Kjellner- Disappeared without a trace and has been missing for three months.

Erik- One of Magnus and Christian’s childhood friend. Has an alcoholic wife. Has an affair. Ill treats his wife. Desperately tries to hide from his past.

Kenneth- Another one of Magnus and Christian’s childhood friend. His wife has cancer and dies in the end. Heart-broken and guilty, he seeks help from the police.

Summary:

Christian Thydell, a librarian in Fjällbacka, has published his novel The Mermaid. The book has been very well-received and a great success. Even so, things are very tough for Christian: he has received very threatening letters that are devastating and extremely frightening. Erica discovers the letters and steals one of them to show to her police detective husband Patrick. Inadvertently, the existence of the letters leaks to the press, which of course increases the pressure on the already hard-pressed and fragile Christian.

At his end, at the police station, Patrik is working with a missing person case: Magnus Kjellner has disappeared without a trace and has been missing for three months. There is every reason to believe he is dead, but so far no body has turned up. When his body is found, the investigation turns into a hunt for his murderer.

After the letters turn up, it becomes clear that Christian and Magnus knew one another. That they were part of a group of childhood friends with strong ties to one another. It is quite possible that there is a connection between the letters that Christian is receiving and the disappearance. Erik and Kenneth too, had received such letters which are exactly the same.

Numerous threats had occurred in their houses. As time passes by, more and more misfortunes happen. Christian couldn’t bear the consequences and decided to end his life. Erik fled and traveled incognito. He was then brought back to his home place for questioning.

In the end, it is known that Christian had personality split. Because of his guilt when he was young, he blamed himself for his sister’s troubles and misfortunes. He knew it was the right thing to do and he committed suicide by hanging himself from the lighthouse.

Reviews:

In my opinion, this is a wonderful book to read. It is fast pacing and mind boggling. I love this book and would thoroughly recommend it to everybody. Though it might be long and dragging at some parts, it is still a good read. There are lots of twists and turns which will most definitely catch you off guard. The Drowning is an exhilarating and intriguing book as you wouldn’t know what will happen next. One will have to read till the end for the climax. When dark secrets lurk behind, it makes everything more exciting.

Posted at 8:12 am | Comments (5)

5 Comments

On February 3, 2015 at 6:17 pm s4c.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

February 3, 2015 at 6:17 pm

Name : Stella Anne Teoh Ming Hui
Class : S4C
no. Sekolah : 12231
Comment : I personally found this book a little disturbing. with a split personality Christian has to face some troubles in life that he should have sought guidance for. In the end, suicide is not what I would encourage or endorse anyone to do, as although it may solve your problems, it leaves more questions for others. The book is a thriller through and through and it was well written and I liked it.
On February 20, 2015 at 11:39 am s4b.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

February 20, 2015 at 11:39 am

Name: Caryn Tan Khye Lyn
Class: K3B
Reading your reviews, I can say that you find this story very interesting. However after reading the book myself, I found it hard to catch up as there is a variety of name in the story. Each and every person in the story has their own story line which thus making it even more confusing. In my opinion, I think the writer should make it less complicating and easier to understand. For people with bad memories, it will be difficult for them to comprehend the story in one read as they have to flip back and forth to get the names correct. Even though the story is intriguing, it would be much better if it was simpler to comprehend.
On February 20, 2015 at 11:39 am s4b.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

February 20, 2015 at 11:39 am

Name: Koay Yi Yun
Class: K3C
I do agree that the book is fast pacing and mind-boggling. It’s just that I prefer happy endings to sad endings, especially ones that commit suicide. In the summary you’ve written, for Christian, committing suicide was the right thing to do. I’ll just have to disagree that part. Committing suicide is not the only option. Christian should have, I don’t know, maybe go for treatment or something, and just not end his life. To me, killing yourself is an act of cowardice. Of course, some may say “It’s just reality.” However, I would like to tell everyone that we were born to live, not die.
On February 20, 2015 at 11:40 am s4b.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

February 20, 2015 at 11:40 am

Name: Ding Kah Wen
Class: K3C
I agree with Hoong Wei. This story is rather nice to read. The plot twist in the end is astonishing and catches you off guard. Even in the middle of reading it, I still cannot decipher the person behind the killing. Alas, in the end, it shows how a person facing stress could do and we should learn from his mistakes. Too much stress causes depression, and sometimes, it even causes deaths. Therefore, we should always keep watch of the people around us and help them overcome stress whenever possible. And of course, we ourselves should not be stressed out as well.
On February 20, 2015 at 11:40 am s4b.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

February 20, 2015 at 11:40 am

Name: Yeap Yu Xian
Class: K3C
Indeed, this is a very complicating book but it is still readable and comprehensible. At first, reading the first few chapters were quite disorientating yet after reading more chapters, I actually got the hang of it pretty easily. The way the author depicts the image into a reader’s mind is extraordinary. You could actually imagine everything happening inside the book. It’s as if you’re part of its world. It’s easy to think of the situation in my mind.