Drowning Instinct

By: Ilsa J. Bick

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord's first 16 years were not exactly a fairy tale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother - until he shipped off to Iraq. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire. There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and everyone cries for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain... magnetism. And there are stories where it's hard to be sure who's a prince and who's a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds - and the rules.

©2012 Ilsa Bick (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

I love everything about this book.

Any additional comments?

After reading Katie’s review of Drowning Instinct over at Blook Girl, I picked up the audio version, and I’m so glad I did.

Jenna is rescued from a near-drowning and while in the hospital, an officer gives her a tape recorder and asks her to record what happened, how she ended up in the frozen lake. So she starts at the beginning: her troubled home life, her arrival at a new school and everything that happens after. She pulls no punches and spares no details.

Jenna is a hot mess. She’s had an unfortunate upbringing which includes a fire that nearly killed her, being molested, living with a drunk mother and a super controlling father, being abandoned by her military-bound brother and self cutting. Unsurprisingly, she has some issues. She was a likable character, though. She had her moments of whining or brattiness, but she deserves some slack.

The infamous teacher, Mitch, well… I had some issues. He’s relatable and nice enough, and I understand he has his own issues, but he’s an adult. I’ve seen many reviews that say this story shows it’s not all black and white, that there are some gray areas, but I disagree. An adult is an adult is an adult. He should know better, no matter what’s going on in his life. But, let’s put that aside for now and just go with it, for the sake of this review. As a general character, I did like Mitch. He was kind and friendly and I think he truly wanted to be there for Jenna, who clearly needed someone to be on her side.

The other characters were there to be mean or bad to our 2 main characters, so we’d feel sorry for them. And they succeeded. They weren’t full characters, more like caricatures of people. But that’s okay, they served their purpose and I really just wanted to spend more time with Mitch and Jenna. Because even though I would oppose such a relationship in real life, I loved reading about it! They had some great scenes together, very sweet and romantic (if maybe a bit clinical).

Ilsa J. Bick has a way with words (not a surprise to me, having read her book Ashes), but I was still impressed with the way she weaved the story together. There was a bit of action, a lot of mystery, some romance and even witty dialogue. Several times I found myself anxious to know what happened next, and this was the only frustrating part about listening to the audio version – where I would normally skip a bit to get to the next scene, because I just couldn’t wait, I was forced to wait for the narrator to get there.

Speaking of the narrator, Kathleen McInerney did a fabulous job of bringing the story to life. At first I thought she sounded too young, but it worked and she soon became Jenna. Also, since the entire story is Jenna speaking into a microphone, there was a certain “rightness” of listening to the story, as opposed to reading it.

This is sometimes a hard story, for the subject matter, but it’s an interesting one. The writing is taut and kept me on the edge of my seat many times. And you know that bit from the book’s summary:

"There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)"

Keep that bit in mind.

Disturbing, beautiful, awfully komplex and...

Any additional comments?

So, this is actually the first time I'm writing a review - even though I'm addicted to all kind of audio books (in particular YA paranormal romance, just keeping it light and delighting), so I was a little bit sceptic about purchasing this book (whithout a credit, I might mention) - but it was a good investment:

First of all: If you're looking for a nice teen love-story, that's not your audiobook.

The sotry is disturbing - but beautifully so. It's about love, taboos, desires - very basic desires indeed - like being loved and accepted just the way you are, however screwed up that might be - but what the author does, is to light up the shadows, not taking the simple road of black and white, but looking at those aspects of live, which can't be categorized into simple drawers, adding layers to it and telling the only version of truth there is - from a very personal view, the view of one person - Jenna (no idea how to write her name) - she's a

Disturbing

This book makes the short list for the Top Ten Most Disturbing books I have ever read. It's common for a writer to tackle a dark pertinent issue......In Drowning Instinct, Ilsa Bick just about tackles them all.

The audiobook medium is perfect for Drowning Instinct. It is written in first person point of view, and has the primary character speaking her story into a tape recorder. The audiobook is like having the recorder dropped into your hands.

The waters in Drowning Instinct are dark. In some places churning, and in some malevolent...be careful...it will pull you under.

Dark & damaged & secrets

This is a dark book, and listening to it is the perfect medium for it because Jenna is confessing her story on cassette tape. At sixteen years old, Jenna Lorde has a damaged past. After being in a psych ward and home-schooled she is now attending a public school where she befriends her chemistry teacher. I can't tell you how many times I thought, "Boundaries, Mr. Anderson, boundaries!" But soon there aren't any. Jenna has her secrets, but guess what, so does Mr. Anderson. I liked the ending...it was emotional and the last bit I heard was perfect.

Cruising to a brick wall

What did you love best about Drowning Instinct?

This book started out as a twisted youth book. Have to admit, I could not see that this would continue on the track it should by premise, but it did. Kind of shocking and taboo. Gentle, gentle book. Taking you slowly so you are not so opposed to the relationships and emotions.

What did you like best about this story?

I never thought an ice reunion would make me cry. Surprise.

Which character – as performed by Kathleen McInerney – was your favorite?

Jenna was amazing, Mr. Anderson...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book took us on a surface ride which would make you think young adult nonsense, twisted with some adult surface scratched themes, then suddenly you plunge.

Flurry of activity between Jenna and her parents as well as her teacher.

Drowning Instinct is told in confession format with Jenna recounting the events that took place prior to her being in the hospital. The prologue is the conclusion about Jenna’s life and the circumstances that brought her to this moment. Jenna explains to Bob about her time as a sixteen year old in high school when she became friends with her coach and teacher.
Some might say this is a student/teacher story between Jenna and Mr. Anderson, yet it’s more than that.

Mitch Anderson is the chemistry teacher and coach that befriends Jenna. He is known as the nice guy who takes a personal interest in his students. He recognizes troubled students and tries to help them feel normal. Mr. Anderson notices that Jenna shows signs of being anti-social. He makes her feel accepted by having her join his running team and includes her in his class activities.

This is narrated by Kathleen McInerney. She is the narrated voice of all characters including both male and female. She does a marvelous job voicing both. The fluency was excellent. Overall Kathleen sounded great. Her performance was mesmerizing. She voiced all the sounds of emotional pain, turmoil, sadness, and excitement exceptionally well. She captured the essence of Jenna’s pain, confusion, anxiety, and fears by bringing her character to life. She did a far better job than I could have done at expressing Jenna’s character.

Jenna describes her father as Psycho Dad. He a loose cannon of impatience and annoyance. Her mother is described as an alcoholic who forgets about her parental responsibilities.
Neither parent seems to be too concerned about Jenna’s well being. They are strict, yet careless. Both were self absorbed characters who focused on their own issues.
Jenna is drowning in the pressures of life. She’s lost and confused. It’s easy to chalk up her problems as those of a typical teenager, yet you get the sense that more is happening at home and at school.

I thought the way Ilsa chose to explain Jenna’s character was brilliant. Just when my mind had Jenna’s motives figured out Ilsa switched up the circumstances. Ilsa pushed my mind into different directions. I was torn from one side to the next. She was always one step ahead of me. Ilsa dug deep into the past revealing secrets of a flawed beginning. Ilsa provided a dramatic conclusion full of intense activity.

This story is written well and flows smoothly. I was able to stop and start at any point in the book and easily pick up where I left off. This story stayed fresh in my mind throughout the entire time it took to finish listening to it.

This is a family issues story where past secrets are hidden to protect Jenna, yet all it did was complicate her life. Jenna discovered that she can’t run from her past, she must face the truths before moving forward into the future.
This is a different type of love story in which these characters find a unique type of love. This love is tender and kind. This love is Jenna’s salvation in life. It’s her new beginning.

So messed up, and I loved every second of it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this on a 13 hour car trip. I never turned it off except when I had to stop for gas. So many twists and turns in this book. Although there are some questions that never get answered, it was riveting nonetheless.

chilling and and will not let you go

Would you listen to Drowning Instinct again? Why?

Yes

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mitch. He is such a parodix. You cant tell if his actions are out of true love or a sickness of his own.

Which scene was your favorite?

Most heart breaking is the end. Because no matter how thing got so messed up and how many lies are told. The bottom line is the love is so great it trumps it all and rips your heart out.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It did it all. You feel such profound emotions for all the messed up cast who are the blind leading the blind. Everyone is so messed up in their own way that inflecting more pain and screwing up seems inevitable.

Blew me AWAY!

This book surprised the hell out of me. I was not sure what to expect as the blurb did this book NO justice at all. I read the Ashes series by Ilsa J Bick and LOVED IT! I was taking a chance on this stand alone and boy am I glad I did.

I was HOOKED on this book from the very beginning. The author used the names of REAL towns that I actually have been to and that made me feel more connected to the story. The issues that Jenna faced also hit home. This book really captures the hell that a teenager can experience no matter your background is. I am sure that what happens in this book could be met with opposition, but I think that the story itself was an amazing unraveling series of events. I would give this book 10 stars if it were an option. This book has haunted me since I started it and I know it will continue to haunt me days to come. Drowning Instinct is really high on my WOW I DID NOT SEE THAT coming list. Well done, Ilsa!

PROPS to the narrator Kathleen McInerney! Well done!!!!!

Not worth it

I do not understand how this book has so many good reviews. I found it completely boring and only managed to finish it because I kept waiting for it to get better. One of the most stupid boring books that I ever listen to it.