Caitlin Kiernan's The Drowning Girl.

curatorialentity

curatorialentity

Acolyte
I'm looking to trade for the Centipede Press edition of CK's The Drowning Girl.

As possible items for trade, I have the Centipede Press edition of Arthur Machen: Masters of the Weird Tale, the Centipede Press edition of Dramas from the Depths (the Reggie Oliver compendium), Sorcery & Sanctity: A Homage to Arthur Machen, Mark Samuels's Written in Darkness, Reggie Oliver's Shadow Plays, Stephen J. Clark's In Delirium's Circle, (a very dog-eared copy of) John B. Ford's Dark Shadows on the Moon, and a copy of Thomas Ligotti's Crampton screenplay (along with The Holy City CD).

If the prospect of trading the CK for some combination of the above strikes you as desirable, shoot me a PM, and we can work something out. I have traded with members here before.
 
Caitlín R. Kiernan's highly regarded dark fantasy and literary horror book, The Drowning Girl: A Memoir, was initially released on March 6, 2012. As of 2026, it is still regarded as one of the most acclaimed pieces of contemporary "weird fiction" and is regularly mentioned for its intricate examination of identity and mental illness.
Storyline and Narrative Framework
The narrative is told from the first-person perspective of India Morgan Phelps, also known as "Imp," a young artist from Providence, Rhode Island.

Untrustworthy Storyteller: Imp has a familial history of mental illness and schizophrenia. Because she finds it difficult to discern between actual happenings, hallucinations, and potential otherworldly hauntings, the story is non-linear and stream-of-consciousness.
Core Conflict: Imp's two contradictory recollections of meeting Eva Canning are the focus of the book. In one version, Eva is a naked hitchhiker discovered by the road; in another, she is a magical creature, possibly a werewolf, mermaid, or siren.
Themes: The book explores gender identity, the creative process, and the "truth" of fiction in great detail. It highlights the important bond between Imp and Abalyn, her transgender Girl names.
Awards and Critical Reception
Because of its "lush and believable" style and inability to offer simple solutions, the book is widely praised.
Major Honors: It took home the 2012 James Tiptree Jr. Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.
Nominations: It was a finalist for the World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Nebula, and Locus Awards.
 
The Drowning Girl is one of my favorite books. I reread it this past April (second read) just to see if it still held up. It did, and was even better than the first time. I was just now thinking about it before I came here and saw this post, because I have loaned it to a friend whom I will see in a couple days and find out if she's started it (or even finished it...)
 
R. von Pnaklendorf said:
I’m looking forward to reading The Drowning Girl. It was published in Spanish by the same press that has published most of Thomas Ligotti’s books. Here is the cover:


Recently, it was published in Japan, and the cover is amazing:
Click to expand...
Both those covers are miles better than the US original paperback one. Kiernan's publishers have not served her well, at least with her novels.
 
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