The Trouble With Drowning
By Heather Hach (Jour'93)
(Greenleaf Book Group Press, 328 pages; 2023)
When author Eden Hart floats into Tucson鈥檚 Antigone Books in all her dazzling perfection to give a reading, Kat, a struggling writer, can鈥檛 help but compare herself. Professionally, physically, socially鈥旹den is Kat鈥檚 aspiration. Thankfully, Kat鈥檚 life starts to take on its own Eden-like glow when her literary future takes shape and she falls madly in love with Jacob, the effortlessly charismatic son of her literary hero. Kat鈥檚 life is finally her fantasy realized: a burgeoning career, mentoring from her idol, and a wildly fulfilling relationship. But how long can she keep this up? And when will disappointment tap Kat on the shoulder yet again?
As demons from her past begin to surface, Kat鈥檚 mental health craters, and this halcyon dream slips through her fingers. Obsessed with reclaiming her idealized life, Kat develops an insidious plan to not only bring Jacob back into her world, but also punish anyone who dares to replace her.