Hawkins plays with your head a bit, and even in the end, I'm not convinced I believe everything. Every character seemed capable of doing it, but also not capable at the same time. Firstly, it was unclear whether or not Nel was murdered or if she jumped, and even if she was murdered, there wasn't one clear suspect. The mystery was anything but predictable. But Hawkins' writing never felt disjointed or choppy, you quickly get used to the writing style and the story flows easily. Hawkins also alternated persons throughout the novel, Jules' sections were written in second-person, for example, and the 'you' she was referring to was her sister, Nel.

I thought that each character, for the most part, had a distinct voice, but I was appreciative of the headings for those few times when I needed to double-check. The story is told in many different perspectives, with the character named at the top of the pages within the chapter to help keep things straight. Hawkins' does a great job of unraveling the layers of the story - everyone is a part of the story on a larger scale and she does a great job of weaving everything together. I really enjoyed the slow burn of this story. I think Hawkins' writing has grown since the debut but this book is so different it is tricky to say that one is better than the other. I don't really want to compare the two but I think it is important to recognize that these are two very different stories. Right off the bat, this book was a lot different from Hawkin's debut.

As an investigation is undergone, old secrets and stories from the town arise: the retired police chief's wife's drowning nearly forty years ago, the stories of witches - they used to be 'tested' in the river's waters, and Katie, Lena's best friend who was found drowned in the river a few months earlier, ruled a suicide. She left behind a fifteen-year-old daughter, Lena who is now under that care of her mother's estranged sister Jules. This book follows the story of the death of a woman, Nel, who has devoted her life to telling the stories of the women who have died at the Drowning Pool in her small town.

Into the water paula hawkins review