They Drown Our Daughters

By: Katrina Monroe

Narrated by: Mara Wilson

"The best kind of story—one that will both break your heart and scare the hell out of you."—Jennifer McMahon, New York Times bestselling author of The Children on the Hill

For fans of Jennifer McMahon and Silvia Moreno-Garcia comes a haunting and atmospheric new novel from Katrina Monroe.

If you can hear the call of the water,

It's already far too late.

They say Cape Disappointment is haunted. That's why tourists used to flock there in droves. They'd visit the rocky shoreline under the old lighthouse's watchful eye and fish shells from the water as they pretended to spot dark shapes in the surf. Now the tourists are long gone, and when Meredith Strand and her young daughter return to Meredith's childhood home after an acrimonious split from her wife, the Cape seems more haunted by regret than any malevolent force.

But her mother, suffering from early stages of Alzheimer's, is convinced the ghost stories are real. Not only is there something in the water, but it's watching them. Waiting for them. Reaching out to Meredith's daughter the way it has to every woman in their line for generations—and if Meredith isn't careful, all three women, bound by blood and heartbreak, will be lost one by one to the ocean's mournful call.

Part modern gothic, part ghost story, They Drown Our Daughters explores the depths of motherhood, identity, and the lengths a woman will go to hold on to both.

©2022 Katrina Monroe (P)2022 Recorded Books

I’d say solid book

The narration isn’t the quality of others but it’s not bad honestly. The book itself is slower paced but keeps you engaged with the twists and turns and flips in characters. Really had me trying to figure things out and I really didn’t struggle too much to read it. Overall I’d say 4 stars and good to read if you’re in a slump.

Spoilers within: very good book, but felt familiar

They Drown Our Daughters is a solid book with a few decent twists in it. I loved the characters; Meredith felt realistic and relatable, Alice was a good kid, Art is everyone's favorite uncle. The story was compelling as well, I loved the exploration of history we got in the novel, it felt fleshed out and lived in. The narration is excellent too, Mara Wilson knocked it out of the park.

One thing kept nagging at me throughout the book though, and that's how familiar the story felt to me. It then occurred to me within the last hour of the book why it felt so familiar, it's because the 2002 movie Dark Water had similar themes. Not that it should discourage you from reading this book, it feels more like an homage to the film than anything else, and still packs an emotional punch.

Nope

I couldn’t finish. To slow and drawn out for my liking. And the narrators voice was meeeh.

gripping, heart pounding, AWESOME

you won't want to stop listening! a haunting tale of love and longing. 5 stars!

Not as good as other ppl said

I saw a lot of ppl recommending this book. It sounds so good. However it fell flat. I did enjoy the way it was written by going back to each daughter down to the main girl, however there are still so many questions at the end, it didn't really wrap everything up.

A little suspenseful

It was hard to keep track of the mothers and daughters while reading. It raised more questions than answers: why did the father favor his niece, Lizzie over god own daughters. Why did Alice’s mother have to be the one to end the curse? Where did Tempest and Calamity actually come from? How did Gina survive? Was she actually a witch?

Came for Mara Wilson, stayed for the story

Honestly an amazing book. Mara Wilson brings a depth to a story that's already heartwarming, sad, and suspenseful all on its own. Worth reading or listening to for sure!

Too slow and too many holes

This book was meandering for no good reason. I wanted it to end because it was torture.