Caitlin Kiernan has published an immense number of short
stories, and a good number of novels since the 90s. And yet I retain the impression she remains
largely unknown to the reading public.
Perhaps due to the initial focus on goth and punk and like motifs,
nevertheless, she has become one of the best stylists in the game, not to
mention delved ever deeper into the human facets of her stories regardless of
motif—her 2009 The Red Tree a great
example, and arguably her best novel to that point in time. In 2012 Kiernan topped herself with The Drowning Girl, potentially penning her
magnum opus and dark fantasy masterpiece, in the process.
Framed as a downward spiral, The Drowning Girl is the story of India Morgan Phelps—known as Imp
to many. Openly schizophrenic, Imp tells
of her mother and grandmother’s mental issues, their demise in suicide, and her
likely road to the same end. One evening
while out for a drive, Imp finds a hitchhiker named Eva Canning standing naked
beside the road. Reminding Imp of a girl
from a painting she has loved since childhood, Imp provides Canning a bed for
the night, and the next day sees the woman on her way. Trouble follows. Canning turning up at Imp’s work and at
various points on her daily routine, it appears she has a stalker. Dealing with relationship issues, Imp takes
little notice. But things start to
crumble. Other Cannings seeming to
appear, her medication no longer having strong effect, her employment not going
as planned—these and a variety of other matters force Imp into a new
perspective on life. Question is, is she
able to survive?
For anyone who has read Kiernan’s previous novel, The Red Tree, the framework of The Drowning Girl will feel very
familiar. Artist with mental issues. Non-cis relationship problems. Suicidal thoughts. Folklore and local history feeding into main
character’s story. Elements of the dark/psychological
fantastic that accentuate rather than define the story. An exploratory, revelatory, deeply personal
narrative that feels as cathartic as it does real. Wonderfully deliberate reveal and flow. And I could go on.
But The Drowning Girl
remains a singular novel. Upon
completion, I came to think of it as the bookend to The Red Tree: same shelf, different side. Where The Red Tree steams with summer heat and the dark influence of the titular
tree, The Drowning Girl is a more
fluid (natch), dynamic novel that possesses one or two additional layers of
narrative. Fiction within fiction (the
two embedded short stories are superb) and a sub-theme involving the Canning alter-ego,
meaning it’s fair to say The Drowning
Girl is the more sophisticated novel, especially considering the quality integration
of these additional elements.
While I was at first skeptical of Kiernan’s prose (for much
of the novel it seemed she was not executing as she could), it suddenly became
apparent the tone was deliberate. There is
one section of the novel, about two-thirds of the way through, that is
absolutely masterful. Kiernan switches
gears, shifting into a stream-of-consciousness with magic-realist undertones
that not only addresses changes happening within the main character in literary
fashion, but likewise offers a a few barrel rolls and loop-de-loops of prose to
show how much ‘in character’ Kiernan had been restraining herself to that
point. Not medicore writing, it simply was Imp in proper, epistolary form. When
breaking free, the novel’s stars flickerered into life, and the prose shines. Just superb.
Looking at Kiernan’s oeuvre to date, I am woefully behind in
reading. Nevertheless, there is an
instinctual part of my reading brain that believes The Drowning Girl is Kiernan’s magnum opus to date, and perhaps is even
a transcendent piece of literature at large.
The narrative control, balancing the various pieces within the story of
a schizophrenic. Leading the reader
along with relevant prose, only to blow the doors off on what is really
possible. Masterfully presenting how
sane mentally ill people are. And the
rich, blood-pumping, human heart that drives the story. All are magnificent. And on and on I could go. But just go read it for yourself.
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